KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (Interstat) — Bryce Fowler went 3 for 4 with three RBIs and Eric Hines drove in four runs, including a three-run homer, as Alabama defeated Tennessee 12-8 on Thursday afternoon at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

The Crimson Tide improved to 29-14 overall, while the Volunteers fell to 27-15. Alabama broke open a tight game in the sixth inning after holding a 6-4 lead through five.

Alabama struck first in the top of the first when Fowler doubled to right-center, scoring Jason Lebron. Tennessee answered immediately as Garrett Wright homered to left in the bottom half and Brady Grimmer singled in Henry Ford, giving the Volunteers a 2-1 lead.

Wright homered again in the second inning to push Tennessee ahead 3-2, but Alabama regained control in the third. After a walk and a hit batter loaded the bases, Peyton Steele doubled to center field and was thrown out trying to stretch it into a triple, but three runs scored on the play, putting the Crimson Tide up 5-3.

Fowler’s RBI double in the fourth extended the lead to 6-3. Tennessee trimmed it to 6-4 in the fourth when Wright reached on a fielding error by the shortstop that scored a run.

The decisive inning came in the top of the sixth. With one out, Neal walked and Fowler walked. Hines then crushed a home run down the left-field line, scoring three runs and making it 9-4. The Volunteers answered in the bottom half as Ford hit a two-run homer to center, cutting the deficit to 9-6.

Alabama put the game away in the seventh. After a walk and two hit batters, Neal was hit by a pitch to force in a run. Fowler walked to score another, and Hines was hit by a pitch to drive in a third, giving Alabama a 12-6 cushion. Tennessee scored two in the seventh on a two-run single by M. Marin, but Matthew Heiberger and Hagan Banks combined to hold the Volunteers scoreless over the final two innings.

Wright finished 2 for 5 with two home runs and three RBIs for Tennessee. Ford was 2 for 5 with a homer and two RBIs. For Alabama, Fowler also recorded three hits, while Hines had two hits and four RBIs. Tyler Fay started for the Crimson Tide and allowed four earned runs over five innings, striking out six. Nic Abraham pitched two scoreless innings for Tennessee.

The win was Alabama’s second in its last five games after a midweek loss to UAB. Tennessee had won its previous two games, including a 14-4 victory over Lipscomb.

The series continues Friday afternoon at Lindsey Nelson Stadium, with the Crimson Tide and Volunteers playing the second game of the three-game Southeastern Conference set. Alabama then hosts Vanderbilt next week, while Tennessee hosts West Georgia before traveling to Kentucky.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Tennessee 7, Alabama 4, and its ELO system had given the Volunteers a 64.40 percent probability to win.