Bryce Cunningham struck out 11 hitters and allowed two runs over eight innings as Vanderbilt beat Illinois State, 7-2, on Saturday afternoon at Hawkins Field.

Cunningham struck out the first five hitters of the day, setting the tone for a dominant outing. He allowed one earned run, threw 118 pitches (82 for strikes), didn't walk a batter and gave up just four hits.

Vanderbilt (13-3) had just seven hits, and no batter had more than one. Davis Diaz (two walks) reached base three times, scored a run and drove in another.

The Commodores' biggest offensive play of the game came when RJ Austin laid down a sixth-inning sacrifice bunt that plated both Matthew Polk and Calvin Hewett. A Jonathan Vastine ground-out and a Cam Kozeal single also plated runs in the inning.

Vanderbilt grabbed a 2-0 lead in the second on RBI ground-outs by Polk and Hewett and never looked back.

Illinois State's (5-7) only earned run came off Cunningham in the eighth on a Greg Nichols double.

Ryan Ginther threw a scoreless ninth for the save.

Vanderbilt has won the series. Game 3 will start at 1 p.m. Central on Sunday.

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