Tennessee totaled five home runs including two from Griffin Merritt in the Vols' 10-6 win over Kentucky to take the first of three on Friday at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

The No. 23 Vols improve to 34-16 overall and 13-12 in SEC play.

Christian Moore, Hunter Enlsey and Jared Dickey each homered as Tennessee batters combined for 11 hits.

Starting right-handed pitcher Andrew Lindsey (1-2) picked up his first win of the season, tossing four strikeouts and allowing three runs and six hits in 6.2 innings.

Moore led off the second with a home run to left to give Tennessee a 1-0 lead but a costly throwing error in the third from Lindsey that turned a Jackson Gray bunt into an unearned Kentucky (34-14, 14-11) run evened the score.

Ensley followed up a Maui Ahuna walk with a two-run shot that ended up well beyond on the upper deck in left field, then Dickey blasted another in the next at-bat to put the Vols up 4-1.

The onslaught continued with Moore and Blake Burke at the corners to set up the third home run of the inning from Merritt for three more runs and a 7-1 advantage. Two batters later, Stark doubled to left to plate Zane Denton.

Kentucky got one back in the fifth off of a Devin Burkes home run but a two-run shot from Merritt off the score board put the Vols up 10-2 in the sixth.

Kentucky tried to rally in the ninth, pulling within four runs after Gray's home run pushed two runs across but Hollis Fanning came out of the bullpen and capped the game with back-to-back strikeouts.

Tennessee will go for the series in Game 2 on Saturday. First pitch is set for 12 p.m. ET on SEC Network.

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