KNOXVILLE, Tenn. \u2013 Tennessee used a dominant performance on the mound and timely hitting to surge to a 5-1 win over No. 3\/4 Texas on Friday night in the opening game of its final SEC home series of the season.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tegan Kuhns<\/a> suffocated the Longhorns (36-11, 15-9) on the mound with a record-setting outing on Friday. The sophomore right-hander struck out a career-high 15 batters, tying the SEC single-game high this season set by LSU’s Casan Evans against Oklahoma on March 19.<\/p>\n The total is also the most by a UT pitcher since June 4, 2005 when James Adkins notched 15 strikeouts versus Winthrop in the NCAA Knoxville Regional en route to a 3-2 victory.<\/p>\n The Volunteers (33-17, 12-13 SEC) struck early against Texas ace and SEC Pitcher of the Year contender Dylan Volantis, who surrendered three earned runs on six hits – both tied for the second-highest totals he has allowed in a start this season – and handed the sophomore lefty his first loss of the year. The Big Orange added two more runs in the second inning to increase their lead to three. Levi Clark<\/a> went from first to third on a double down the left-field line by Manny Marin<\/a> before an error by the left fielder allowed him to race home on the play. Marin came in to score on a wild pitch later in the inning to make it 3-0.<\/p>\n Neither team was able to get much going offensively in the middle innings until the Longhorns (36-11, 15-9 SEC) finally threatened with back-to-back two-out singles in the top of the seventh. After a mound visit from head coach Josh Elander, Kuhns\u00a0buckled down struck out Casey Borba for his 15th and final strikeout of the night, sending the Lindsey Nelson Stadium crowd into a frenzy.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Vols rode that momentum to a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning to extend their lead to five on a two-run single by Grimmer off of Texas reliever Cody Howard.<\/p>\n
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Designated hitter Trent Grindlinger<\/a> opened the scoring in the bottom of the first with a double to left center that scored Blake Grimmer<\/a> from second after he reached on an infield single earlier in the inning.\u00a0<\/p>\n