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Published Apr 1, 2009
Belmont routs Vandy at Greer
Chris Lee
VandySports.com Publisher
NASHVILLE, Tenn.—Belmont pounded seven Vanderbilt pitchers for 17 hits in a 15-6 rout of the Commodores at Greer Stadium on Wednesday night, handing Vandy its first mid-week loss of the season.
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It was an all-around sloppy day for the Commodores. VU threw six wild pitches, hit three batters, and committed a passed ball and made three errors. Chase Reid, Drew Hayes, Jack Armstrong and Navery Moore each gave up at least three runs in their appearances, and Richie Goodenow another run in his only inning.
Only Grayson Gavin (two shutout innings, three strikeouts) and Sean Bierman (1 2/3 shutout frames) were even remotely effective.
It was the most runs a Commodore staff had given up since a 16-7 loss to South Carolina on March 15, 2008, and the most in a mid-week game since a 19-3 loss to MTSU in 2001.
The hits allowed were also a season high. It snapped a seven-game winning streak over the Bruins, dating back to Corbin's first year in 2003.
Offensively, VU managed seven hits, but hit into three double plays.
Fourteen of the runs were earned. The Bruins got four in the first and fourth innings, three more in the sixth and seventh and another in the eighth, and trailed just briefly in the fourth.
Belmont's Derek Wiley opened the scoring in the first, doubling off the wall in center to score Dylan Craig off Reid. Brandon McCall reached on an error by Riley Reynolds that scored Wiley, then Daniel Wagner added an infield single.
McCall and Wiley swiped second and third, respectively, then both took home on a double just between Jason Esposito's glove and the third-base bag that scored two more for a 4-0 lead. Three of the runs against Reid were earned.
Things stayed that way until the third, when Steven Liddle lined a Matt Hamann pitch just over the 327-foot wall in right to score Alex Hilliard and Riley Reynolds. Curt Casali then slammed Haman's next offering off the foul pole in left to tie the game.
Two batters later, Joe Loftus's line-out to center scored Aaron Westlake from third, and VU had a 5-4 lead.
In the bottom of the fourth, that lead evaporated; the Bruins greeted Hayes with three singles and a walk, the last single coming from Packy Elkins to tie the game. Hayes then walked McCall to force in a sixth run, and left the game having retired just one hitter.
A single by Daniel Wagner off Bierman's first pitch added another run, as did a line-out to right by Matt Zeblo, and Belmont had an 8-5 lead.
Belmont (15-13) added three more in the sixth off Armstrong on a error by shortstop Alex McClure and a two-run double by Phillip Parsley for an 11-5 margin. Wiley added a homer off Moore in the seventh, and a Zeblo double off Moore added two more.
In the eighth, Vandy added a run on Esposito's grounder that shortstop Elkins booted to allow Andrew Giobbi to score from second.
About the only bright spot of the day was Liddle's play; in addition to the homer, he was on base three times and also reached over the fence in right to rob Elkins of a three-run homer off Goodenow in the eighth.
Hayes (2-2) took the loss for Vandy. The Commodores (17-11, 3-6 Southeastern Conference) dropped a third-straight game, and have a three-game homestand against Florida starting on Friday.
NOTES:
• The 13 2/3-inning scoreless streak for Reid is over, as is Hayes's 11 1/3 inning streak.
• Giobbi caught a game for the first time since Feb. 27 vs. Vermont.
• Liddle and Casali hit Vandy's first back-to-back homers of the year since April 6, 2008 (Ryan Flaherty, Pedro Alvarez vs. Ole Miss)