KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 15 Tennessee road its hot hitting and dominant pitching to another blowout victory over Iona on a wet Saturday afternoon at Lindsey Nelson Stadium, defeating the Gaels 29-0.
UT’s 29 runs scored are the most since defeating Morehead State 29-1 on Feb. 14, 2004. The Vols finished the day with 20 hits, 11 of which went for extra bases while 12 different players recorded a base knock. Through two games in the series, the Big Orange have totaled 55 runs on 41 base hits.
Tennessee’s pitching was equally as impressive en route to recording its third shutout of the year after having just three all of last season.
Trey Lipscomb continued his torrid start to the season with another incredible performance at the plate. The senior third baseman nearly hit for the cycle for the second straight game, finishing a double short. Lipscomb went 3-for-4 with two runs and three RBIs and hit his team-leading fourth homer of the year.
Sophomore pitcher Chase Dollander earned his first victory as a Vol after throwing five shutout innings. The Georgia Southern transfer allowed just two hits and stuck out 10 Iona batters.
After a tough day at the plate on Friday, Jordan Beck bounced back big time on Saturday, going 3-for-4 with three runs and four RBIs while finishing a triple short of the cycle. The Hazel Green, Alabama, native got the scoring started with an RBI double in the first inning before driving in another run with a single in the fourth. The junior slugger capped his day with a two-run blast off the batter’s eye in dead center field in the fifth.
Drew Gilbert also had a big day two hits, two runs and four RBIs. For the series, Gilbert is batting .800 with four runs, a pair of doubles and seven RBIs.
Tennessee (6-0) used four pitchers in relief of Dollander, all of which three one scoreless inning. UT’s bullpen has been lights out this season, allowing just one run while holding opponents to a .132 batting average through six games.
The Vols will look to complete the series sweep on Sunday afternoon. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m. Tickets for the game are available at AllVols.com
NOTABLE
LIPSCOMB LIGHTS OUT: After hitting for the cycle on Friday, Trey Lipscomb had another great day at the dish on Saturday, going 3-for-4 with a pair of runs scored and three RBIs, finishing a double short of the cycle. After his third hit of the day, Lipscomb has recorded a hit in eight straight at-bats with 11 RBIs in that stretch.
DOLLANDER DOMINANT: Through two starts this season, sophomore right hander Chase Dollander has been downright dominant with 21 strikeouts in 10 innings of work. The Evans, Georgia, native picked up his first win at Tennessee on Saturday, tossing five shutout innings with 10 strikeouts and only two hits allowed.
NEW RECORD: With Saturday’s 29-0 victory, the Vols set a new record for margin of victory (29 runs). The previous record was 28 in a 29-1 win over Morehead State on Feb. 14, 2004.
-UT Athletics
