Tennessee picked a really good time to break out of its series-opening slump.
Sophomore pitcher Tegan Kuhns racked up career highs with 15 strikeouts and 113 pitches as the Volunteers downed No. 3 Texas 5-1 before a Friday night crowd of 6,842 at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. Tennessee improved to 33-17 overall and to 12-13 in Southeastern Conference play with the much-needed victory, while the Longhorns fell to 36-11 and to 15-9 within the league.
The Vols had lost six of their last seven SEC series openers before Friday’s breakthrough.
“It’s been a minute since we won a game on a Friday night, so this was a big one,” Tennessee first-year coach Josh Elander said afterward in a press conference. “I told the guys to enjoy it tonight, but then we need to turn the page. A lot of people have their families in this weekend, so it’s always good to win on a Friday night.
“You can’t take it for granted.”