Top-seeded Tennessee opened NCAA Tournament play with a win in the Knoxville Regional Friday at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
With a victory over the Hornets (34-24), Tennessee (54-7) tied the single-season record for wins, matching the 1995 Vols.
Tennessee’s pitching staff also recorded its ninth shutout of the season.
Blade Tidwell (3-1) pitched 7.2 innings and allowed three hits. He had seven strikeouts.
Ben Joyce and Mark McLaughlin appeared in relief for Tennessee.
Jordan Beck was 2-for-4 with two home runs, two runs and four RBIs. Blake Burke, Jorel Ortega and Drew Gilbert also hit home runs for the Vols.
Ortega went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. He drove in Tennessee’s first run of the game in the second inning.
The Vols extended its advantage to 4-0 with runs in fourth and fifth innings.
Tennessee, which had 15 hits, scored another run in the seventh inning before closing the scoring with a run in the eighth.
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