KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 2/4 Tennessee completed its season-opening series sweep of Hofstra with its third straight run-rule win, downing the Pride 13-1 in seven innings on Sunday afternoon at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
The Volunteers (3-0) did the majority of their damage in the first two innings, scoring 12 of their 13 runs over those two frames, including putting up an eight-spot in the second to jump out to a 12-1 lead.
Reese Chapman led the charge at the plate with five RBIs, four of which came on a grand slam in the second inning, UT’s second of the weekend after Hunter Ensley hit one in Saturday’s win.
Ensley built off his impressive game two performance with another strong day at the dish on Sunday, going 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBIs. Dean Curley also had his second multi-hit effort of the series with a pair of singles.
Nate Snead put together a solid outing in his first weekend start as the Vol, allowing one run on two hits while striking out three batters over three innings.
Lefty reliever Andrew Behnke picked up the win after tossing a scoreless fourth inning before Ryan Combs, Luke Payne and Austin Breedlove combined to pitch the final three frames in scoreless fashion.
Another Successful Opening Weekend
The Vols posted their fourth consecutive series sweep when opening the year at home (2019, 2020, 2022, 2025) and are now 13-2 overall under head coach Tony Vitello in season-opening home series.
Tennessee has posted a winning record on opening weekend in six of its eight seasons under Vitello with 2018 and 2023 being the only exceptions.
Up Next
The Big Orange host UNC Asheville on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. on SEC Network+ and the ESPN app.
