Vols Go 3-0 At Round Rock, Including Win Over #25 Stanford

Sunday, February 23, 2020

ROUND ROCK, Texas – Tennessee completed its weekend in Texas with a perfect 3-0 record after beating No. 25 Stanford, 7-2, on Sunday afternoon at the Round Rock Classic.

The Vols took advantage of the Cardinal's spotty defense and inconsistent relief pitching to improve to 7-0 on the year.

Stanford committed five errors and walked seven batters on the afternoon.

Luc Lipcius and Pete Derkay had UT's two biggest hits of the day. Lipcius got the Big Orange on the board with an RBI triple in the second inning while Derkay provided the Vols with some breathing room in the seventh thanks to his two-out, pinch-hit single that drove in a pair of runs and extended the lead to four.

Liam Spence and Zach Daniels also drove in runs for the Vols as they were able to pull away late to turn a close game into a comfortable win.

Freshman left hander Drew Gilbert earned his first-career win after tossing 4.1 solid innings in relief of starter Elijah Pleasants. Gilbert allowed just one run on five hits and struck out three.

Redmond Walsh slammed the door to pick up his first save of the season. The redshirt junior closer did not allow a hit and struck out four batters in three shutout innings.

Alex Williams was the hard-luck loser for Stanford, falling to 1-1 on the year. The right hander allowed just three hits and struck out 10 in 5.2 innings pitched. All three runs he surrendered were unearned.

The Vols return home to start a 10-game homestand with a pair of midweek games on Tuesday and Wednesday against Northern Kentucky and UNC Asheville. Get your tickets at AllVols.com.

With Sunday's win, the Vols were crowned champions of the inaugural Round Rock Classic. Tennessee was the only team in the field to go undefeated. The Big Orange outscored their three opponents 21-8 on the weekend.

You won't find many players more effective at pinch hitting than Derkay, who is now 9-for-17 with seven RBI in his UT career as a pinch hitter after Sunday's two-run single in the seventh inning.

It was another good weekend for Daniels, who was one of the Vols' top hitters throughout the tournament. The junior slugger has now recorded at least one hit and one RBI in the last six games.