Vols Dismantle Iona in Game One of Weekend Series

KNOXVILLE, Tenn.– The No. 18 Tennessee Vols came into Friday night's series-opening game against Iona with a 4-0 record. They left Lindsey Nelson Stadium still undefeated after a 27-1 victory over the Iona Gaels.

Tennessee destroyed Iona, scoring 12 runs in the first two innings and never looking back.

The senior third baseman Trey Lipscomb was electric in a game where Tennessee scored the second-most runs they have under Tony Vitello. Lipscomb exploded for a perfect 5-5 stat line with nine RBIs, three runs and a home run. The Maryland native also performed a cycle as he cracked a triple with the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Lipscomb's dominant performance brings his season totals to 15 RBIs, ten hits and eight runs.

Five Vols sent Gael pitches over the Lindsey Nelson wall, as Evan Russell, Jared Dickey, Blake Burke and Cortland Lawson all hit home runs in addition to Lipscomb. Other than Lipscomb, every home run hit by the four other Vols marked their first individual bombs of the season, and Jared Dickey's home run was the first of his career.

On a horrific Friday night for Iona, five Gaels took the mound, and each pitcher allowed at least two runs, with Drew Helmstetter allowing nine.

Chase Burns did well in his second career start, throwing four strikeouts and 49 strikes on 74 total pitches in five innings. The freshman allowed four hits and Iona's lone run.

Camden Sewell, Kirby Connell, Drew Patterson, and Mark McLaughlin saw action on the mound. Patterson retired the side in his first career inning, and Connell also made it three up, three down.

An eight-run inning for the Vols in the bottom of the second spelled disaster for Iona, and Tony Vitello's Vols made it an otherworldly blowout lasting over three-and-a-half hours.

Below are final stats for the Vols in their 27-run, 21 hit performance.

Quick Notes/Takeaways Following the Win:

-Many guys saw action in the field and at the plate. Eighteen players graced the dish, and 17 Vols got playing time in the field. Thirteen of the 18 Vols that swung a bat on Friday got a hit, and ten scored. Five Vols put in work at the mound, making for a night where Tony Vitello got to see a lot out of his deep roster.

-Trey Lipscomb is continuing to show he is one of the hottest Vols at the plate this season with his .1000 batting percentage and nine RBI performance against the Gaels.

-Tennessee now has 16 home runs on the season after cracking five on Friday night.

-The last time Tennessee had 20 hits was on April 5, 2021, against Texas A&M last season, and the Vols accomplished that feat against Iona with 21.

-Tennessee can take advantage of opponents' mistakes. Granted, there were excessive mistakes from the Gaels on Friday, but the Vols did a good job of making sure they got the most out of the 26-run win.

-Trey Lipscomb's cycle is the first cycle hit by a Vol since April of 2016 when Jordan Rodgers did it against Kentucky.

Tennessee and Iona will continue the series on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET as the Vols look to complete their second series sweep of 2022.

Cover photo via Jake Nichols of Volunteer Country.

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