In a high-scoring NCAA baseball game, the University of Tennessee, ranked fourth nationally, defeated Bellarmine University with a final score of 20-5. The game, held at Lindsey Nelson Stadium, featured a dominant performance by Tennessee, which extended its lead in NCAA home runs to 101 for the season, marking their fourth six-homer game of the season. Notable moments included multiple home runs by Tennessee players, including a grand slam by Blake Burke and a three-run homer by Charlie Taylor. The victory sets up an important series for Tennessee against third-ranked Kentucky in Lexington.
#Vols going to the pen. Drew Beam's day is done. Aaron Combs taking the mound. Tennessee 8, Kentucky 4, Bottom5
Grant Smith RBI single gets Kentucky within 8-4 of Tennessee, Bottom5
Emilien Pitre RBI double down the left field line gets Kentucky within 8-3 of Tennessee, Bottom5.
Kentucky's Ryan Waldschmidt with yet another hit. This one just a single, though. Basically a win for Tennessee.
Christian Moore RBI single gives #Vols an 8-2 lead at Kentucky, Top5. Blake Burke then lines out, but Tennessee's lead is bigger heading into the bottom of the fifth.
The narrative that Tennessee only hits homers at home is still so dumb. Four homers and counting today in the pitchers' park in Lexington.
Dylan Dreiling has left the yard. Two-iron solo homer to start the fifth gives Tennessee a 7-2 lead at Kentucky.
Drew Beam needed that clean inning. #Vols 6, Kentucky 2, heading Top4
Kavares Tears has left the yard. Goes oppo for a solo blast to give #Vols a 6-2 lead at Kentucky, Top2.
Yep. Call overturned. Beam picks off Mitchell Daly to end the first, but Kentucky got back two runs there. #Vols 5, Kentucky 2, heading Top2
Passed ball and RBI single gets Kentucky within 5-2 of Tennessee, Bottom1. Kentucky is as opportunistic as a baseball team gets. You can't give that bunch anything. Simple stuff. Pitch and catch. And that doesn't happen.
Ryan Waldschmidt has left the yard. Kentucky answers a leadoff homer with a leadoff homer of its own, and #Vols' lead is down to 5-1.
Tennessee bats around and scores five (but does strand two) in the top of the first. Really nice cushion for Drew Beam heading into the bottom of the first in Lexington.
Dean Curley RBI double gives #Vols a 5-0 lead over Kentucky, Top1. Still no outs recorded for the Wildcats. Five extra-base hits for Tennessee.
Dylan Dreiling RBI double gives #Vols a 4-0 lead over Kentucky, Top1. Still no outs recorded for the Wildcats. Four extra-base hits for Tennessee.
Kavares Tears blasts an RBI double off the right center field wall, giving #Vols a 3-0 lead at Kentucky, Top1.
Blake Burke has left the yard, Back-to-back blasts to open the game, and #Vols have a 2-0 lead at Kentucky, Top2. That also was mashed.
Christian Moore has left the yard. Solo leadoff homer gives #Vols a 1-0 lead, Top1. That left the yard by a mile the opposite way.
Kentucky baseball is kinda crushing this season. https://t.co/Z9NtHfbsGP
Kentucky Baseball beats Tennessee 5-3 in the Series Opener
BASEBALL FINAL IN LEXINGTON: No. 3 Kentucky 5, No. 4 Tennessee 3 A very good baseball game ruined — for the #Vols, anyway — by two meltdowns on one play in the bottom of the seventh. Game Two on Saturday at 2 p.m. Eastern
UK baseball opens top-five matchup with Tennessee with a come-from-behind 5-3 win. Record crowd at Kentucky Proud Park to start the biggest regular season home series in stadium history.
Dean Curley draws a leadoff walk, Top9. #Vols will get the tying run to the plate at least once.
Nolan McCarthy has left the yard. Solo homer gives Kentucky a 5-3 lead over Tennessee, Bottom8
Huge missed opportunity there for Tennessee in the eighth. Kentucky isn't the best team in college baseball but is very good and absolutely does not beat itself. If you make mistakes, you're asking for trouble against this bunch.
Billy Amick wears one. Two on, one out for Tennessee, Top8 Kentucky up, 4-3
UK baseball has taken a 4-3 lead against Tennessee in the seventh inning in front of a record crowd at Kentucky Proud Park. The bandwagon for Nick Mingione's team is filling up. Cats lead SEC by two games entering the weekend.
Kentucky reloaded the bases, but Nate Snead got out of it. Damage done, though. Two awful runs to give away there. Kentucky 4, #Vols 3, heading Top8
Billy Amick had a shot ricochet off his glove and into left field. Then a less-than-great throw to the plate. Two Kentucky runs score. Cats take the lead with two outs, Bottom7 Kentucky 4, Tennessee 3
Ryan Waldschmidt RBI groundout gets Kentucky within 3-2 of Tennessee, Bottom7 Two outs. Runners on second and third.
Kentucky has loaded the bases with one out, Bottom7. Ryan Waldschmidt coming to the plate. Suboptimal.
Two on, no outs for Kentucky, Bottom7 #Vols up 3-1
Causey still shoving. Retired the side in order. #Vols 3, Kentucky 1, heading Top7
That was a big second out for #Vols' AJ Causey in the bottom of the fifth with a man on second. Ryan Waldschmidt popped up. First time he's been retired tonight. Causey then got Petri to end the inning. Vols 3, Kentucky 1, heading Top6
#Vols catcher Cal Stark, aggressive as ever, just threw behind Kentucky's Ryan Nicholson at first and picked him off to end the fourth. Tennessee 2, Kentucky 1, heading Top5
Missed opportunity for Tennessee in the top of the fourth. Just a bit too much topspin on that Ensley liner to left, or it might have gotten out for his second of the night. He squared it up. #Vols 2, Kentucky 1, heading Bottom4
Ryan Waldschmidt stayed hot and homered to get Kentucky within 2-1 of Tennessee, but the #Vols have opened the top of the fourth with singles from Amick and Tears.
AJ Causey looked really good in that bottom of the second. That movement he gets is wild. #Vols 2, Kentucky 0, heading Top3
Hunter Ensley has left the yard. Two-run homer gives #Vols a 2-0 lead at Kentucky, Bottom2
Not how Tennessee drew it up for the bottom of the first, but no harm done. AJ Causey cleaned up the damage and kept the game scoreless. #Vols 0, Kentucky 0, heading Top2
Kentucky's Ryan Waldschmidt doubles to start the bottom of the first. Not the start you want, especially up 0-2.
Another huge weekend for No. 4 Tennessee baseball about to start. Vols are at No. 3 Kentucky the next three days, and Game One starts in just a few minutes. Really interesting series for a lot of reasons.
BASEBALL FINAL IN KNOXVILLE: No. 4 Tennessee 20, Bellarmine 5 #Vols extend NCAA lead with six more homers — 101 on the season. Fourth six-homer game of the season. UP NEXT: Huge weekend series at No. 3 Kentucky in Lexington.
This is Tennessee's fourth six-home run game of the season.
Alex Perry RBI single gives #Vols a 20-5 lead over Bellarmine, Bottom8
Bradke Lohry RBI double off the left field wall gives #Vols a 19-5 lead over Bellarmine, Bottom8
Colby Backus has left the yard. Solo homer into the LF porches gives #Vols an 18-5 lead over Bellarmine, Bottom8.
Charlie Taylor has left the yard. Three-run homer gives #Vols a 17-4 lead over Bellarmine, Bottom7 Vols dugout explodes. They love them some Chuck. That's Tennessee's NCAA-leading 100th homer of the season.
Alex Perry RBI single gives #Vols a 14-4 lead over Bellarmine, Bottom7
Bradke Lohry RBI single gives #Vols a 13-4 lead over Bellarmine, Bottom7 Bellarmine going to the pen. This will be pitcher No. 10 for the Knights.
Bellarmine's new pitcher out of the pen has a 15.34 ERA and 3.26 WHIP. Bold strategy against Tennessee's offense, Cotton.
Ariel Antigua RBI single gives #Vols a 12-4 lead over Bellarmine, Bottom6, and Bellarmine is going back to the pen. Again.
Dalton Bargo two-run single gives #Vols an 11-4 lead over Bellarmine, Bottom6
Great play there by Dean Curley. #Vols' freshman middle infielders flashing leather this evening.
Reese Chapman has left the yard. Oppo blast into the LF bleachers — his second homer of the day — gives #Vols a 9-4 lead over Bellarmine, Bottom4.
Put a pin in this: Looks like Kentucky veteran catcher Devin Burkes tweaked a hamstring running the bases a minute ago in the first inning at Louisville. No. 3 UK and No. 4 Tennessee play a series this weekend in Lexington.
Billy Amick RBI walk gives #Vols an 8-4 lead over Bellarmine, Bottom4
Casey Sorg has left the yard. Solo blast into the LF porches, and Bellarmine is within 7-4 of Tennessee, Top3. Game on?
Will Aubel has left the yard. Bellarmine's leadoff hitter sends a three-run homer into the left field porches, and #Vols' lead is down to 7-3, Top3.
Tennessee entered the day with the national lead in home runs with 95, and it's got three more in the first two innings tonight.
Kavares Tears has left the yard. A mile-high (41-degree launch angle) wall scraper to right center gives #Vols a 7-0 lead over Bellarmine, Bottom2.
Blake Burke has left the yard. Grand slam on a line off the top of the right field video board gives #Vols a 6-0 lead over Bellarmine, Bottom2. Ball was 113 mph off the bat.
Blake Burke has left the yard. Grand slam on a line off the top of the right field video board gives #Vols a 7-0 lead over Bellarmine, Bottom2. Ball was 113 mph off the bat.
Reese Chapman has left the yard. Two-run 2-iron over the right field wall gives #Vols a 2-0 lead over Bellarmine, Bottom2. Ball was 109 mph off the bat.
Hell of a catch there by Reese Chapman to end the top of the first. Might see that one on #SCTop10 tonight. #Vols 0, Bellarmine 0, heading Bottom1
Greerings from Lindsey Nelson stadium, where No. 4 #Vols will host Bellarmine in a 6 p.m. Eastern game on SEC Network+. Hard-throwing sophomore righty Marcus Phillips getting the first start of his Tennessee career. Mid-80s weather. Hard thrower on the mound. Sounds fun to me.