KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 2/4 Tennessee run-ruled Samford, 11-1, in action-packed fashion with a pair of back-to-back homers from the duos of Gavin Kilen and Hunter Ensley as well as Levi Clark and Stone Lawless on Sunday afternoon at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
The Volunteers completed their second series sweep of the season with the win and have now swept 13 consecutive non-conference weekend series in the regular season dating back to 2021.
Samford (3-4) took a first-inning lead for the second straight day with a leadoff homer to start the game, but was held off the scoreboard for the rest of the game.
UT (7-0) answered with two runs in the bottom of the second and stayed in front for the remainder of the game. Reese Chapman and Lawless came around to score on a fielder’s choice by Dean Curley followed by an error, giving the Vols a 2-1 lead.
After a scoreless third inning, the Big Orange struck for five two-out runs in the fourth to create some breathing room. Kilen hit a three-run blast for the first Tennessee homer of the game. Ensley followed suit, hitting a solo shot to center field to increase the lead to 5-1. A fielding error after a double from Manny Marin allowed Andrew Fischer to score from first, extending the Vols’ lead to six runs heading into the fifth inning.
UT added two more runs in fifth and capped their scoring with another pair of runs in the sixth inning. Levi Clark hit a pinch-hit home run for the second straight day as he blasted a 3-2 pitch into the porches in left field. Lawless was right behind him to complete Tennessee’s second set of back-to-back homers with his first collegiate long ball. The redshirt-freshman catcher finished the day 2-for-3 with three runs scored and an RBI.
Pitching Impresses Again
The Big Orange had another productive day on the mound, as well, holding the Bulldogs to just one run on five hits. The Vols used five different pitchers who combined for 10 strikeouts on the day.
Redshirt sophomore righthander Austin Hunley earned the win to improve to 2-0 on the year after tossing two shutout innings of relief. The trio of Austin Breedlove, Brayden Sharp and Ryan Combs also posted scoreless relief appearances.
Pair of Pinch-Hit Homers
Both of Clark’s homers in the series came when he stepped to the plate as a pinch hitter. The true freshman finished tied for the team lead in RBIs with five for the weekend after hitting a game-winning grand slam on Saturday.
Tennessee finished Sunday’s game with four home runs and hit eight for the series, giving them 20 through seven games this season.
Up Next
The Vols cap off their eight-game homestand on Tuesday evening against North Alabama. First pitch is slated for 4:30 p.m. on SEC Network+ and the ESPN app.
