Bleday, Paul help Vandy sweep UK

Vanderbilt right fielder J.J. Bleday and shortstop Ethan Paul each hit ninth-inning home runs, breaking open a tie game to give the Commodores a 7-4 win over Kentucky at Kentucky Pride Park in Lexington, Ky., on Saturday afternoon.

Third baseman Austin Martin and second baseman Harrison Ray added solo shots for the Commodores (45-10, 23-7 Southeastern Conference), who concluded their regular season after clinching the regular-season title on Friday night.

Left fielder Stephen Scott added an insurance run on a ninth-inning single

Closer Tyler Brown (2-1) threw 2 2/3 scoreless innings, holding the Wildcats down late while setting the stage for a three-run ninth while picking up a win.

Vanderbilt’s bullpen held Kentucky to one run in 5 1/3 innings, but made it interesting late.

Kentucky battled from three down to tie it in the seventh on a fielder’s choice ground-out off Brown that was charged to Hugh Fisher after the sophomore loaded the bases with one out.

UK’s Jaren Shelby grounded hard to Paul at short, who muffed it and couldn’t turn a double play, but, did get throw to third for an out to keep the game tied. Brown got out of it by fanning Dalton Reed.

VU starter Patrick Raby struggled, giving up eight hits, a walk and three runs—all earned—in 3 2/3 innings. Raby had two outs in the fourth before giving up a homer to Reed, then, three successive singles and a walk to score another run.

Freshman Ethan Smith came on to give Vandy 2 1/3 scoreless, and also get Raby out of that jam.

Martin led off the game by drilling a homer off Kentucky starter Zach Thompson on the first pitch. Ray added his second bomb of the season two innings later.

Those were the second and third homers of the season off Thompson, a likely first-round pick in next month’s MLB Draft, in 84 innings of work coming in.

The Commodores will face the winner of Tuesday's SEC Tournament game between Tennessee and Auburn--that game is at 4:30 Central--in a Wednesday game also scheduled for 4:30.

Vandy enters the tournament on a hot streak, having swept Kentucky in three games as part of a five-game winning streak. The Commodores have won five in a row and 18 of their last 19 games.

V1: Martin homer to left-center. V, 1-0

V2: Ray homer to left. V, 2-0

K3: Curtis ground-out scored Gei. V, 2-1

V4: Ray double to left scored Clarke. V, 3-1

V4: Infante ground out scored Scott. V, 4-1

K4: Reed homer to right-center off Raby. V, 4-2

K4: Johnson single through left side scored Rodriguez. V, 4-33

K7: Shelby ground out off Brown scored Hill. Tied-4

V9: Bleday home run. V, 5-4

V9: Paul home run. V, 6-4

V9: Scott single to right center. scored DeMarco. V, 7-4