KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 2/4 Tennessee earned their second win of their opening series with a 18-1 run-rule victory over Hofstra on Saturday afternoon at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

Ten different UT players scored runs on the day, including multi-run efforts from Gavin Kilen (three), Hunter Ensley (three), Levi Clark (three), Manny Marin (two) and Jay Abernathy (two).

The Vols also notched 16 RBIs on the day, backed by efforts from seven different players. Four of the seven contributed two or more, including Blake Grimmer (three), Ensley (four), Clark (three) and Chris Newstrom (two).

Tennessee struck first, scoring a pair of runs in the second inning, starting a streak of five consecutive innings with multiple runs scored.

Clark hit his first collegiate home run in the bottom of the fourth, a three-run shot into the porches, extending the Vols’ lead to 9-0. Tennessee hit two more homers on the day, including a grand slam from Ensley and a three-run homer from Grimmer.

Fierce Freshmen

The Vols were led by a multitude of dominant freshmen performances — including two true freshmen who made their first career starts in Clark and Newstrom.

Clark went 3-for-3 with three RBIs and three runs — including the aforementioned homer in the fourth inning. Newstrom had a bases-clearing double to cap off the third inning and finished the day with a pair of hits. Abernathy added to the Vols’ lead with both an RBI single and a run of his own in UT’s five-run sixth inning.

Grimmer joined in on the fun with a pinch-hit three-run blast in the sixth, notching the second home run for the Vols’ freshman class in the game.

Pitching Shines Again

A day after limiting the Pride to one hit in a shutout effort, the Big Orange pitching staff allowed just one run on two hits during Saturday’s victory.

Junior righthander Marcus Phillips made his first-career weekend start and held Hofstra scoreless over four innings of work, allowing just one hit and two walks while striking out four batters.

Redshirt sophomore righty Austin Hunley, earned his first win of the year after tossing 0.2 innings of scoreless relief. The duo of Brandon Arvidson and Thomas Crabtree didn’t give up a hit over the final two innings and combined to strike out four batters.  

Up Next

Tennessee and Hofstra will face off Sunday for the final game of the weekend series. First pitch, which was originally scheduled for 12 p.m., has been moved up to 11 a.m.