KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 2/4 Tennessee continued to display its offensive firepower with its fourth-straight run-rule victory to open the season, routing UNC Asheville by a score of 29-4 on Tuesday night at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
The 29 runs are tied for the most in a game during the Tony Vitello era, matching the 29 the Vols (4-0) scored against Iona on Feb. 26, 2022.
All nine of UT’s starters recorded at least one hit and scored at least one run on the day. The Big Orange also blasted five home runs in the win as Dean Curley and Dalton Bargo both went deep twice. Gavin Kilen homered as well, which was his first in a Tennessee uniform.
Curley and freshman Jay Abernathy both finished with career highs in runs scored with five apiece. Abernathy also stole four bases after reaching base in all five of his plate appearances with a single and four walks.
UT’s pitchers combined for 12 strikeouts and issued just one walk, while the Bulldogs’ pitching staff allowed 22 free passes for the game.
Three different pitchers made their Tennessee debuts in Nic Abraham, Tanner Wiggins and Brayden Krenzel. None of the three allowed an earned run and Abraham earned the win after tossing 1.1 innings of relief in his collegiate debut.
Bargo’s Big Inning
After Asheville homered to take a 3-1 lead in the top of the second, the Vols responded immediately with a nine-run explosion in the bottom of the inning, thanks in large part to two homers and five RBIs off the bat of Bargo.
The junior utility man led off the frame with a solo blast to right center before launching a grand slam later in the inning to give UT a 9-3 advantage. Bargo is just the fourth Vol to ever hit two home runs in an inning, joining Luc Lipcius (2022 vs. Notre Dame), Kelly Edmundson (2006 vs. Belmont) and Sonny Cortez (1998 vs. NC State).
The Omaha native now has three multi-homer games in his Tennessee career after posting two a season ago (April 6 at Auburn and June 9 vs. Evansville).
With Bargo’s aforementioned grand slam, Tennessee has already hit three through four games this season after setting a single-season program record with 12 in 2024.
The Volunteers host Samford for a weekend series starting Friday at 4:30 p.m. All three games can be streamed live on SEC Network+ and the ESPN app.
