Tennessee entered the bottom half of the second inning in an unfamiliar spot Tuesday.

The No. 4 Vols, fresh off of three-straight run-rule triumphs in an impressive opening weekend display, were trailing after Coleman McGinnis landed a blow in the form of a two-run home run to put UNC Asheville ahead in the previous frame.

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Dalton Bargo responded--twice.

The Tennessee first baseman led off the second with a home run to get one back. In his second time through the lineup, he mashed another over the batter's eye in center field for a grand slam that headlined the Vols' 29-4 victory in seven innings over the Bulldogs at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

Bargo's two long balls were part of a nine-run inning that had Tennessee (4-0) heading for a fourth-straight win by the run rule, and UNC Asheville (3-1), which had shown more fight early than the Vols had seen in their short season, never recovered.

Bargo wasn't the only Tennessee player to leave the yard multiple times. Dean Curley accounted for two home runs ans the Vols' lineup totaled five along with 17 hits in their hitting clinic.

Right-handed pitcher Nic Abraham (1-0) earned the win after tossing a strikeout and allowing one run in 1.1 innings of work. Right-handed starter Brandon Arvidson struck out four, gave up three runs and three hits in 2.0 innings.

The Bulldogs' pitching staff, meanwhile struggled with more than just throwing strikes. The group combined for 22 walks allowed, two shy of a Tennessee record set in 1988 when ETSU relinquished 24 walks.

Dean Curley was heralded as one of Tennessee's most important returning players from its national title run.

Through four games, he's proven as much. It was his lead off home run to left-center field in the bottom of the first that opened up the scoring, putting the Vols up 1-0 in just a couple of pitches.

Andrew Fischer followed it up with a two-out double that dropped into right-center four at-bats later and Cannon Peebles walked to put two on before Levi Clark struck out to strand both.

UNC Asheville made Tennessee regret not taking advantage of the runners in the second after Caiden Chilausky doubled down the left field line to put two on and Coleman McGinnis mashed a three-run shot over the wall in right to put the Bulldogs in front, 3-1.

Dalton Bargo answered back in the bottom half, leading off the frame with a homer to right-center, and the Vols weren't yet done in the inning.

Jay Abernathy and Curley drew walks, then Gavin Kilen sent a ball to deep right and beyond to pull Tennessee ahead again at 5-3 with just one out. UNC Asheville went to the bullpen after right-handed starter Branden Barna walked Hunter Ensley, but reliever Matthew Hall didn't fare much better.

After another walk and a Clark infield single, Bargo, who began the frame with a home run, hit another, this one a grand slam to stretch the Vols' lead to 9-3.

The Bulldogs couldn't stop the bleeding, either. McGinnis, who put UNC Asheville ahead in the top half, tried to catch Abernathy stealing third, but his throw from behind the plate to Patrick Gillen sailed high and into right field, allowing Abernathy to score.

The inning mercifully ended for the Bulldogs only after Tennessee sent 14 to the plate and scored nine runs to put it on the brink of another run-rule.

Right-handed freshman Nic Abraham, who entered for Brandon Arvidson, produced a quick 1-2-3 inning in the third to send Tennessee's surging lineup back to the plate.

But that lineup didn't need to do much to get another run across. Ensley and Fischer hit back-to-back singles and Peebles drew a walk to load the bases again. Another walk scored Ensley to up the Vols' advantage 11-3.

Much like the second, there was nothing UNC Asheville could do to get out of the third, even when it had Tennessee down to two outs after Abernathy flew out to center for an RBI that brought in Fischer.

A throwing error on Logan Lowe from third scored two more, and Kilen singled to right for his fourth RBI to open up a 15-3 lead that led to another pitching change. Fischer wore a pitch with the bases loaded to score Curley and Peebles singled through the left side to bring in two runs.

A fielder's choice, the only one that the Bulldogs were able to successfully field in the inning, eventually got them out of it, but trailing 18-3 through three.

Tennessee looked a little more human defensively in the fourth. The Vols had two errors scored against them--one a throwing error on Fischer at third and a fielding error on Curley at short. UNC Asheville scored a run as a result to put a minor dent in Tennessee's lead at 18-4.

Curley got the run back for the Vols in the bottom fourth and then some with a three-run shot off the batter's eye in center to extended their advantage to 21-4 with one out.

A double play prevented Tennessee from adding more, but Clark made up for it in the fifth, doubling down the line in left to score two runs.

Antigua plated another pair with a single through the left side and Curley scored on a wild pitch. When Clark returned to the plate for the second time in the inning, he drew a bases-loaded walk that scored Antigua to go up 28-4.

The Vols' final run in this offensive onslaught, appropriately, came on a walk with the bases loaded, drawn by Chris Newstrom and scored by Abernathy in the sixth.

Tennessee will play host Samford in a three-game series at Lindsey Nelson Stadium this weekend.

The Bulldogs (3-0) were picked to finish second in the Southern Conference preseason poll after going 36-22 last season.

Samford opened its season with a series sweep of Valparaiso and plays Jacksonville State on Tuesday.

The Vols and Bulldogs open their series Friday at 4:30 p.m. ET, followed by Game 2 at 4 p.m. Saturday and Game 3 at 2 p.m. Sunday. All three games will air on SEC Network +.

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