Auburn overcame an early deficit with eight unanswered runs in a 13-4 win over Tennessee on Friday, clinching a spot in the SEC Tournament.

This is the second straight year the Tigers (29-26, 14-15 SEC) have made the tournament after missing it for six seasons.

Tennessee (24-29, 6-23) started Friday’s game with its second three-run first inning of the series, jumping out to a 3-0 lead with a two-run double from Matt Duffy and an RBI single by Davis Morgan.

Auburn answered back with two of its own in the third inning on a Casey McElroy sacrifice fly and an RBI single by Tony Caldwell to cut the Volunteers’ lead to 3-2.

The Tigers got the bats going again in the fourth, rapping out six hits and scoring three runs in the frame. Justin Hargett, Cullen Wacker and Caldwell knocked RBI singles to give Auburn a 5-3 lead. Caldwell and McElroy logged two-out hits after the Tigers started the weekend 0-for-12 with two outs.

Hargett added a two-out bunt single that plated Kevin Patterson in the fifth and Wacker knocked an RBI single to stake the Tigers to a 7-3 lead.

Wes Gilmer followed with an RBI double in the sixth to extend Auburn’s lead to 8-3.

Ethan Bennett knocked a one-out solo home run to cut the Tigers’ lead back to four runs in the bottom of the sixth, but Justin Fradejas plated Hargett with a sacrifice fly in the seventh to push the lead back to 9-4.

Caldwell added the exclamation point in the ninth, hitting his second grand slam of the year to finish off a 3-for-6, six-RBI day and give the Tigers a 13-4 lead.

Derek Varnadore (6-2) settled down after a rough first inning, going 6 2/3 innings and giving up four runs on 10 hits with seven strikeouts to get the win for the Tigers.

“At the end of the first, I was able to hit spots and get my slider working,“ Varnadore said. “I was confident in that today.“

Zach Blatt pitched a scoreless final 2 1/3 innings, giving up two hits and striking out three, to finish off the game.

Nick Blount (1-5) took the loss for Tennessee, giving up five runs on eight hits over 3 2/3 innings.

Auburn collected 18 hits on the night, with Caldwell, Hargett (4-for-5, four runs, two RBIs), McElroy (3-for-4, two runs) and Wacker (3-for-5, two RBIs) doing the most damage.

Junior Dan Gamache, one of the Tigers’ leading hitters, sat out Friday night’s game with a hand injury he suffered in Thursday’s game.

Duffy and Morgan were each 2-for-4 for the Vols, Josh Liles went 2-for-3, and Zach Osborne was 2-for-5.

If Auburn beats the Volunteers on Saturday – first pitch at 1 p.m. – it will clinch a record of better than .500 for the year, one of the requirements for placement in the NCAA Tournament.

Slade Smith (2-1, 6.39 ERA) is scheduled to take the hill for the Tigers.

“I’m really proud of our team and the way they stayed together,“ Tigers coach John Pawlowski said. “We’ve got the chance to go back and play in (the SEC) tournament, which was certainly one of our goals.“

With a win by Mississippi State and an Alabama loss Friday, the Tigers are tied in first heading into the final day of SEC play, a half-game up on Ole Miss and Arkansas, who were rained out Friday.

Alabama plays at noon Friday, the Ole Miss-Arkansas doubleheader—two 7-inning games—starts at 12:05 and Mississippi State hosts LSU at 2.