KNOXVILLE — The bats came alive for the University of Tennessee baseball team Tuesday night.
The Volunteers pounded out 20 hits as they routed East Tennessee State, 17-5, at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. 10 of UT’s hits went for extra bases for the No. 20 Vols, who scored six runs in the second inning to open a big lead.
Alerick Soularie hit two home runs and had a double for the Vols (15-2).
He went 3-for-5 with two runs and drove in four. Evan Russell and Landon Gray also homered for the Vols in their final tune-up before opening Southeastern Conference play against South Carolina in Columbia this weekend.
Zach Daniels went 3-for-4 with two doubles, an RBI and three runs scored for Tennessee, which had single runs in the third and fifth frames respectively. The Big Orange added five runs in the sixth and two each in the seventh and eighth.
Jake Rucker was 2-for-6 with a triple, two runs and an RBI.
Luc Lipcius had two doubles and scored twice while Drew Gilbert had two hits and two runs while driving in one.
Gray had two hits and three RBIs and also scored a run for Tennessee.
The Buccaneers (12-3) had doubles from David Beam and Ashton King and a home run from Jackson Greer.
Beam was a prep standout at Bearden High School. King, a freshman, was a star at Farragut and Greer played high school ball for Knoxville Central.