HOOVER, Ala. (AP) — Alan Espinal had two home runs and five RBIs, Jonathan Vastine added a homer and three RBIs, and No. 8 seed Vanderbilt beat top-seeded Tennessee 13-4 on Wednesday in the double-elimination portion of the SEC Tournament.
Vanderbilt scored 13 runs on 15 hits against a Tennessee pitching staff that entered ranked third in the country with an ERA of 3.68. The Volunteers allowed their second-most runs in a game, behind 16 against Georgia on March 29.
Espinal highlighted Vanderbilt’s five-run third inning with a three-run homer. His two-run shot in the seventh made him the first Vanderbilt player with two home runs in an SEC Tournament game since Dansby Swanson in 2015. Espinal has 12 home runs this season.
Vastine hit his three-run shot in the eighth and Colin Barczi added his first career home run in the ninth as Vanderbilt tied a season-high with four long balls.
Vanderbilt (37-20) advances in the winner’s bracket, while Tennessee (46-11) plays in an elimination game on Thursday.
Miller Green (2-4) got the win after closing the game with four scoreless innings.
Tennessee starter Nate Snead (8-2) allowed five runs in 2 2/3 innings to pick up the loss.
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