Greysen Carter threw 8 1/3 one-run innings as Vanderbilt beat Missouri, at Hawkins Field on Thursday night.
Carter notched career-highs in innings and strikeouts (11) while walking just one and allowing three hits.
RJ Austin and Troy LaNeve each had two hits for the Commodores (21-6, 4-3 Southeastern Conference), who had nine as a team.
Austin, Alan Espinal and Jayden Davis each drove in runs.
Espinal’s single to center in the first scored Austin, giving Vanderbilt its first lead.
That was more than enough for Carter, who sat high-90s with a fastball and was never really threatened.
Carter didn’t allow a hit until Jedier Hernandez doubled past third in the fifth.
But the Tigers—who never sent more than four hitters to the plate in any inning—didn’t manage another hit until the seventh, when Jeric Curtis poked a single through the right side.
Missouri didn’t get a runner past second until the ninth, when Jackson Beaman singled, took second on Ryan Ginther’s wild pitch, got to third on a fly ball to deep left and came home with two outs on Espinal’s passed ball.
Vanderbilt, which has struggled defensively in the last week, moved Austin back to center field and started freshman Matt Ossenfort at first for the second straight game.
Cam Kozeal, Vanderbilt’s starting DH who’s been in and out of the lineup the last two weeks with a shoulder issue, started at batted second after sitting out Tuesday’s win against Valparaiso.
The teams play Game 2 of the series on Friday at 6 Central.
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