KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee opened the Cox Diamond Invitational with a 7-2 win over Louisiana Monroe on Friday afternoon at Blue Wahoos Stadium in Pensacola, Fla.
A no-doubt two-run homer by Andre Lipcius in the third inning was the difference as the Vols won their 10th straight game to open the season.
Junior pitcher Garrett Stallings improved to 3-0 on the year after allowing two runs (one earned) in 7.2 innings of work. The right hander set a new career high in strikeouts with 10 and walked just one batter.
The Orange and White jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the first inning. Justin Ammons was hit by a pitch to lead off the game and came around to score on an RBI single by Jay Charleston to open the scoring. Charleston scored on an Evan Russell sacrifice fly later in the inning to put the Vols ahead 2-0.
The Warhawks immediately responded with two runs of their own in the top of the second to tie the game. Nathan Miranda drove in a run with the first of his three hits on the day before Carson Klepzig brought home the tying run with a perfectly executed squeeze bunt.
That would be the only runs ULM would score in the game, however, as Stallings settled in and was able to work out of a couple jams throughout the afternoon.
Lipcius put the Vols back on top in the third with his second home run of the season. After Charleston singled with two outs, the Williamsburg, Va., native sent a 2-1 pitch over the wall in left field to make it 4-2. Lipcius finished the day 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBI.
Sophomore designated hitter Alerick Soularie gave the Vols some breathing room with a monster three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth. The junior college transfer hammered a first-pitch fastball over the center-field wall to make it 7-2. Soularie has four hits and three RBI over the past two games.
Garrett Crochet entered the game with two outs in the eighth and went the rest of the way to pick up his second save of the season. Warhawks’ starter Jacob Barton fell to 1-1 on the year after giving up four runs on four hits in 4.2 innings pitched.
NOTABLE
ANOTHER CAREER HIGH FOR STALLINGS: Another day, another career high in strikeouts for junior pitcher Garrett Stallings. The Chesapeake, Va., native had 10 punchouts in Friday’s victory over the Warhawks, setting a new career high for the third time this season. Stallings started the year with eight strikeouts against Appalachian State and followed that up with a nine-strikeout performance last Saturday in a win over Indiana.
PLAYING LONG BALL: Tennessee scored five of its seven runs on Friday via the long ball. Andre Lipcius hit his second of the season to put the Vols ahead for good before Alerick Soularie hit the first home run of his UT career in the eighth to help the Big Orange pull away.
UP NEXT: The Vols continue play at the Diamond Cox Invitational tomorrow afternoon when they take on North Florida at 4 p.m. ET. Junior right hander Zach Linginfelter is slated to get the start for Tennessee.
Long Ball Powers Vols Past Louisiana Monroe
