FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas had long since set a single-season record for team home runs, but its biggest one didn’t come until Friday against No. 8 Tennessee.

Senior first baseman Samantha Buckner launched an 0-2 pitch over the left-field wall for a grand slam in the sixth inning, giving the Lady Razorbacks a 5-2 victory in the first game of a doubleheader at Lady ’Back Yard. The Lady Vols earned a split when they won 11-2 in Game 2.

Buckner’s home run was her team record-tying ninth of the season. It also snapped the Lady Razorbacks’ five-game losing streak and ended their ninegame skid against the Lady Vols, dating to 2004.

“It’s really exciting because we hadn’t beaten them in the four years I’ve been here,” said Buckner, who moved into sole possession of third place on Arkansas’ career home runs list. “It’s real positive because it shows what we’re capable of.”

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The Lady Razorbacks (22-12, 2-8 SEC ) hadn’t scored a single run in their last four games against Tennessee (27-5, 5-4 ), and it looked like that streak would continue when they stranded four runners in scoring position in the first three innings of Game 1.

The Lady Vols scratched out a fourth-inning run with three consecutive two-out hits, and made it 2-0 when Tonya Callahan led off the fifth with a home run to center.

But Arkansas broke through in its half of the fifth. With one out, Miranda Dixon singled, Sandra Smith walked and Whitney Cloer singled to load the bases. Dayna Huckabee was hit by a pitch, scoring pinch-runner Hillary Freeman, and after Tennessee pulled starter Ashton Ward (15-3 ) for Megan Rhodes, Buckner connected on her first career grand slam.

Senior Katy Henry (11-5 ) went the distance for Arkansas, striking out eight.

“[Tennessee ] has so much speed, so you’ve got to scatter hits and get out of jams,” Arkansas Coach Jamie Pinkerton said. “Katie did a fantastic job in the first game.”

Jessica Bachkora tied the nightcap at 1-1 when she scored on a single by Cloer in the first inning, Cloer’s fourth consecutive hit of the day. Tennessee went ahead 2-1 in the third, and Callahan put away the game with a sixth-inning grand slam off reliever Layne McGuirt.

Shannon Doepking followed with a home run to right, and the Lady Vols batted around their last two times up. Callahan, the Lady Vols’ leader in most offensive categories, went 4 for 7 with 6 RBI and 3 runs scored.

Arkansas sophomore Brittany Robinson hit a home run in the seventh, her first of the season.

“In the second game, the score was not indicative of how close it really was,” Pinkerton said. “It’s like I told the kids, ‘You don’t play five innings; you play seven.’ We didn’t get it done in the circle.”

The series concludes with an 11 a. m. game today.