NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Stellar pitching from Chase Dollander and Redmond Walsh, plus early offense earned No. 1/1 Tennessee a 5-2 victory over No. 3/9 Vanderbilt on Saturday night, clinching the program’s first series win at Hawkins Field since 2009.
Dollander did not give up a baserunner in his first four innings of work. He faced just three batters over the minimum in his 8-plus innings of work and retired the side in order six times on the night. It marked the longest outing of his career and he now has 60 strikeouts in just seven outings this season after punching out six on Saturday. The right hander improved to 5-0 this season and lowered his WHIP to 0.72.
Tennessee (26-1, 8-0 SEC) utilized a poised relief outing from Walsh to close out the game. He needed just 10 pitches to record three outs and collect his fourth save of the season.
Trey Lipscomb set the tone at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a double, a home run and three RBIs. Jordan Beck also notched a multi-hit effort, going 2-for-5 with a double, an RBI and a run scored.
The Volunteer offense got going early, striking for three runs in the top of the first. After Jorel Ortega walked with one out, Beck smashed a first-pitch RBI double to the gap in left center that one-hopped to the wall. Lipscomb brought Beck home with a ground-rule double to right field before Drew Gilbert scampered home for the final run of the inning on a wild play. Vanderbilt’s catcher could not locate the baseball on a wild pitch, and once the pitcher collected the loose ball he attempted to back-pick Lipscomb at second, all the while Gilbert raced home and slid around the tag to score to give UT an early 3-0 advantage.
Tennessee capitalized again in the fifth inning, scoring a pair of runs. Ortega reached on an error to lead off the inning and ended up scoring his second run of the game when Lipscomb mashed a first-pitch hanging curveball over the wall in left center for his 11th big fly of the season, increasing the Big Orange lead to 5-0.
Dollander had faced the minimum through six innings, but Vanderbilt (20-6, 4-4 SEC) plated two runs in the bottom of the seventh courtesy of two solo home runs coming from Enrique Bradfield Jr. and Spencer Jones to cut the Tennessee lead to three after seven innings.
The Commodores threatened once more before the night was done, getting the leadoff man aboard in the top of the ninth via a walk, but Walsh entered the game and quickly stomped out any hope for the ‘Dores as he got Bradfield Jr. to ground into a double play and then forced another groundout to secure the victory for the Volunteers.
NOTABLE
#ROADVOLS: Tennessee has now won eight consecutive SEC road series dating back to 2019. The Vols are 8-0 in weekend series on the road since the beginning of last season.
DOLLANDER DEALS AGAIN: After winning SEC Pitcher of the Week honors for his performance at Ole Miss last weekend, sophomore RHP Chase Dollander put forth another incredible start on Saturday night in Nashville, carving up the Vanderbilt lineup for much of the night. Dollander took a perfect game into the fifth inning and retired the side in order in six of the eight complete innings he pitched.
REDMOND RISING: Closer Redmond Walsh earned his 20th career save in the victory. He is only three away from tying VFL Todd Helton for the program record in saves with 23.
-UT Athletics
