Tennesee baseball coach Tony Vitello during the NCAA baseball game against Mississippi State in Knoxville, Tenn. on Thursday, April 27, 2023. Ut Baseball Miss St Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

Tennessee vs Kentucky Final Score - Vols Roll Wildcats to Open Series

Originally posted on Tennessee Volunteers on SI
By Tanner Johnson | Last updated Apr 18, 2025 9:36 PM ET

Tennessee blew past Kentucky on Friday night to win the first game of the series.

Tennessee kicked off its weekend series in style, using a mix of timely hitting and shutdown pitching to top Kentucky 8–2 on Friday night at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. With the win, the Volunteers improved to 33–5 on the season and 12–4 in SEC play.

After falling behind 2–0 in the top of the first on a Devin Burkes homer, Tennessee responded immediately. Dean Curley and Gavin Kilen reached base to open the bottom half, and RBI hits from Dalton Bargo and Reese Chapman quickly gave the Vols a 3–2 lead they never relinquished.

The game remained tight through the middle innings until Curley launched a solo homer in the fifth — his 11th of the year — to give Tennessee some breathing room. Then in the sixth, Cannon Peebles broke things open with a towering three-run blast to left, capping a four-run frame that stretched the Vols' lead to 7–2.

Peebles wasn’t done. In the eighth, he crushed a solo shot off the scoreboard for his second homer of the night and seventh of the season, putting the finishing touch on a dominant night at the plate.

On the mound, Tennessee got a steady outing from Liam Doyle, and the bullpen did its job after he exited.

Tennessee looked composed and opportunistic, getting contributions throughout the lineup and flashing elite defense late. It was a complete performance and a strong tone-setter for the rest of the series.