Commodores tame Tigers

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – No. 3 Vanderbilt won its fifth straight Southeastern Conference series and retained its position atop the league standings with a series-clinching 7-2 victory against No. 21 Missouri on Sunday afternoon at Hawkins Field.

The Commodores (41-10, 20-7 SEC) reached the 20-win mark in conference play for the fourth time in program history and first since 2013. Vanderbilt heads into the final week of the regular season with a one-game lead in the standings over second-place Arkansas.

Vanderbilt sent 11 batters to the plate in the third, collecting six runs on four hits including two from Austin Martin. The sophomore, who finished 3-for-4, led off with a double and drove in a pair on a two-out looping single into the left field corner for his team-best 27th multi-hit game.

Pat DeMarco (2-for-4), who started the scoring by depositing his 15th career home run over The Monster in the second, drove in two more in the third. The sophomore sliced a single through the right side, scoring Ethan Paul (single) and J.J. Bleday (walk).

Right-hander Patrick Raby (9-1) scattered six hits and allowed one run while walking three and striking out five across six innings. The senior, who left the bases loaded in the sixth, has not allowed more than one earned run in nine of his 13 starts and has fanned five-plus batters eight times.

Reliever Hugh Fisher struck out a career-high eight batters and picked up his fourth save. The southpaw allowed just one hit and one run in three innings. The tandem of Raby and Fisher limited the Tigers to 1-for-9 (.111) with runners in scoring position and 2-for-10 (.200) with two outs.

The Commodores cap regular season home play on Tuesday, hosting Middle Tennessee. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. and can be seen on the SEC Network Plus. Fans can also listen on WNSR 560 AM/95.9 FM and through VUCommodores.com.