For the second time in a week, Christian Moore tied Blake Burke for the program's all-time career home run lead and for the second time in a week, Burke snatched it back.

The top of the Tennessee order, Moore and Burke mashed back-to-back solo home runs in the first innings and opened the way for a five run frame and an eventual 9-4 victory to even its series with No. 3 Kentucky on Saturday at Kentucky Proud Park in Lexington.

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A day after being held to just one home run in a 5-3 loss on Friday, Moore and Burke were the tone-setters but it was Dylan Dreiling that paced the Vols (32-7, 11-6 SEC) at the plate, going 3-of-5 with three RBIs and two home runs.

Kavares Tears finished 3-of-5 with a single, a double and two RBIs, including a solo home run in the second inning.

Right-handed starting pitcher Drew Beam gave up two early runs but turned in a strong outing, tossing four strikeouts while allowing four runs and seven hits in 4.1 innings of work before reliever Aaron Combs replaced him in the sixth.

Combs (W, 1-1) got out of a few jams but was largely dominant over the final four innings. He totaled seven strikeouts and held Kentucky scoreless in his 4.2 innings.

Tennessee

1. Christian Moore (R) - 2B

2. Blake Burke (L) - 1B

3. Billy Amick (R) - 3B

4. Kavares Tears-1 (L) - RF

5. Dylan Dreiling (L) - LF

6. Dean Curley (R) - SS

7. Reese Chapman (L) - DH

8. Hunter Ensley (R) - CF

9. Cal Stark (R) - C

RHP Drew Beam

Kentucky

1. Ryan Waldschmidt (R) - LF

2. Emilien Pitre (L) - 2B

3. Grant Smith (R) - SS

4. Nick Lopez (B) - DH

5. Mitchell Daly (R) - 3B

6. Ryan Nicholson (L) - 1B

7. Nolan McCarthy (R) - CF

8. James McCoy (B) - RF

9. Devin Burkes (R) - C

LHP Dominic Niman

The top of Tennessee's order wasted no time against Kentucky left-handed starting pitcher Dominci Niman.

Moore led off with solo home run to right field and Burke hit another to almost the same spot in the next at-bat to put the Vols up 2-0 in the top of the first inning.

After Billy Amick beat out a throw for an infield single, Tears doubled off the wall in right-center to score Amick from second and stretch the lead to 3-0.

Dreiling and Curley each recorded RBI double to drive in two more runs in the frame and force the Wildcats into a quick pitching change with no outs. Reliever Cameron O'Brien was able to get Kentucky out of the inning.

Ryan Waldschmidt, who gave Tennessee fits in Game 1 on Friday, sent the first pitch he saw from Beam over the wall in left to get the Wildcats on the board and cut the Vols' lead to 5-1.

Mitchell Daly added another run with a single up the middle that scored Nick Lopez and trimmed the Tennessee advantage for the second time in the frame at 5-2.

Beam quelled Kentucky's momentum by picking off Daly at first to end the inning and Tears answered in the second with an opposite field home run to left to stretch the Vols' lead to 6-2.

Beam got into trouble in the bottom half after back-to-back hits put a pair of Kentucky runners and a two-out hit-by-pitch loaded the bases, but got out of the inning unscathed with a fly out to deep right.

Beam tossed scoreless innings in the third and fourth, going 1-2-3 in both frames as he settled in and silenced the Wildcats lineup after escaping the bases-loaded jam in the second.

Dreiling added Tennessee's fourth home run of the game in the fifth, mashing a ball down the line in left that just cleared the wall to put the Vols up 7-2. Moore plated the second run of the frame with a single through the left side that brought Dean Curley across and provided an 8-2 lead.

Kentucky started to get to Beam in the fifth, scoring two runs on three hits to again cut Tennessee's lead in half at 8-4. Combs came in to replace Beam and Daly grounded into a double play at third to hold the score there.

Tennessee had a chance to add to its lead in the sixth after Tears and Curley singled and Reese Chapman wore a pitch to load the bases, but a ground out kept the Vols from capitalizing.

After Combs retired the side with three-straight strikeouts in the sixth, Kentucky threatened in the seventh with two singles to get base runners on with no outs but again Tennessee emerged without any damage after two in field pop ups left the Wildcats empty-handed.

Dreiling added some insurance in the eighth with his second longball, a home run to right to open up a 9-4 lead.

1. Christian Moore lead off home run puts Tennessee up in the top first.

2. Blake Burke reclaims career home run lead with solo homer in first.

3. Kavares Tears gets a run back with an opposite field home run to left in the second.

Tennessee is in position to win its fifth-straight SEC series on Sunday.

The Vols entered the weekend second in the eastern division behind Kentucky but could continue to make a push for the top spot by handing the Wildcats their first series loss in conference play.

First pitch between Tennessee and Kentucky in the series finale is set for 1 p.m. ET and will stream on SEC Network+.

Left-handed pitcher Zander Sechrist (1-0, 3.34 ERA) is the projected starter for the Vols.

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