LEXINGTON, Ky. — With Christian Moore's three-home run performance, No. 4 Tennessee not only secured a top-5 victory over No. 3 Kentucky but also extended their impressive winning streak of five straight SEC series.
Moore became the seventh player in program history to hit three home runs in a game. He also tied the single-game home run program record. In addition to the three homers, he accounted for four runs scored and six RBIs on the day.
Moore's first home run came in the third inning, propelling the Vols to a 2-0 lead. However, the Wildcats responded quickly, scoring six unanswered runs and turning the tide in their favor, 6-2.
Tennessee gained back momentum in the sixth inning when Blake Burke, Dylan Dreiling, and Cannon Peebles all drove in runs to pull the Vols back on top, 7-6.
Another Kentucky home run put the Wildcats in front, but Moore responded quickly with his second long ball of the day to tie the game, 8-8. Two batters later, Kavaras Tears hit a 2-run homer of his own, giving Tennessee back the lead.
After another Kentucky home run to make it a one-point game, Christian Moore had his last but best response of the day. His third long ball was a three-run blast that flew over the left-field wall in the eighth inning.
After pulling ahead of Blake Burke for the first time this season, Moore is the new Tennessee home run king with 46 on the season.
Tennessee rotated between five pitchers throughout the game, but Kirby Connell got the win after 4.1 innings of work. It was Connell's fourth win on the season.
Next, the Vols will return to Knoxville to start a five-game homestand on Tuesday night against Western Carolina. UT and Missouri will battle it out Thursday through Saturday at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
