No. 4 Tennessee (13-1) extended its winning streak to five games, defeating Rhode Island, 17-4, in the first game of a doubleheader at Lindsey Nelson Stadium Friday.
Tennessee had 15 hits and took advantage of five errors by the Rams (0-11).
Jared Dickey and Logan Steenstra each hit a two-run home run for Tennessee.
Tennessee scored eight runs over the first three innings and tallied five times in the third. The Vols scored nine more runs in the eighth inning.
Dickey, the Vols’ leadoff hitter, went 2-for-5 and scored three runs. Steenstra went 3-for-4 with three runs and three RBIs.
Seth Stephenson was 3-for-5 with a triple and two runs. He also drove in three runs.
The Rams scored two unearned runs in the top of the third inning off UT starter Chase Burns (3-0). Burns pitched five innings. He surrendered two unearned runs, four hits and four walks.
The Rams scored two more runs in the seventh inning off reliever Camden Sewell, who also gave up four hits and struck out two over three innings.
Wyatt Evans pitched the ninth inning for the Vols. He yielded one hit and had one strikeout.
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