The game of the year so far this season for the Tennessee Volunteers really was the game of the year.
In a riveting rubber match that featured four lead changes, leadoff hitter Christian Moore launched three home runs Sunday afternoon as the No. 4 Vols survived No. 3 Kentucky 13-11 before a crowd of 6,797 at Kentucky Proud Park. Moore's third homer was a three-run shot to left field in the eighth inning, which gave Tennessee its largest lead at 13-9.
Kentucky also held a four-run advantage in this dizzying matchup at 6-2 through five innings.
"Obviously they punched us in the mouth early in the game and we came back," Moore, a junior second baseman, told reporters afterward. "They punched back. It was back and forth. They're really good. They might not have all the glamour and all that stuff, but they play hard-nosed baseball.
"That was a great game today."
Tennessee took a 13-9 lead into the ninth inning, when consecutive homers by Mitchell Daly and Ryan Nicholson pulled the Wildcats within 13-11. Kirby Connell picked up the win to improve to 4-0 despite allowing five runs in a little over four innings, with Vols coach Tony Vitello pulling Connell in favor of Marcus Phillips, who recorded the final out to collect his second save.
The Vols improved to 33-7 overall this season and to 12-6 in Southeastern Conference play. They are also 4-1 in rubber matches with wins over Auburn, Georgia, Kentucky and Ole Miss after losing their inaugural rubber match in league action at Alabama.
Kentucky fell to 32-7 overall and to 15-3 in SEC play, with the first-place Wildcats still owning a three-game bulge over the second-place Vols in the Eastern Division race with 12 conference games remaining for each team.
"Once the thrill of this victory dies down, the biggest thing about today's win is that it was done with so many different guys," Vitello said. "Good players will make you look smart, and we were able to utilize a lot of players. On the whole, this weekend was just so valuable for both teams.
"Yeah, we got the benefit of one more win, but I think both teams got a heck of a lot better playing in this environment."
The Wildcats won Friday night's series opener 5-3 before the Vols bounced back Saturday afternoon with a 9-4 triumph.
Tennessee trailed 8-7 entering Sunday's seventh inning but tied the game on Moore's home run to right and went up 10-8 on a two-run homer down the right-field line by Kavares Tears. That at-bat was nine pitches as Tears fell behind 0-2, fouled off three pitches, took three pitches and then went deep.
Moore put Tennessee up 2-0 in the third, when his home run to right followed a two-out walk by Cal Stark. Moore's three homers put him at 46 for his career, grabbing a two-homer lead over teammate Blake Burke for first place on the program's all-time charts.
"It's pretty cool, but Burke's going to catch me again," Moore said. "We're going to go back and forth the whole season. Right now I'm the champion, and I'll just try and ride with it as long as I can."
The Vols took a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the fourth, but it was erased quickly when Daly led off with a game-tying homer to right. Nicholson followed with a single to right, and that was the end of the afternoon for Tennessee starting pitcher Zander Sechrist.
Andrew Behnke replaced Sechrist and promptly struggled, hitting two of the first three batters he faced before allowing Ryan Waldschmidt's two-run double to right that put the Wildcats ahead 4-2.
"Behnke had his worst day of the year, but it's behind us," Vitello said.
Kentucky would extend that advantage to 6-2 until the Vols used a five-run sixth to forge back ahead 7-6.
Tennessee's biggest inning began with Stark getting hit by a pitch and Moore doubling to left. The Vols then got RBI hits from Burke, Billy Amick and Dylan Dreiling to deadlock matters at 6-6 before a Cannon Peebles sacrifice fly to right put the Vols up 7-6.
The Vols return to action Tuesday at 6 p.m., when they host Western Carolina.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.