Duvall, Bleday bombs lead Vandy past UT in Game 1

NASHVILLE, Tenn.—Vanderbilt's Ty Duvall and J.J. Bleday hit solo home runs, helping No. 5 Vanderbilt to a 4-2 win over 23rd-ranked Tennessee at Hawkins Field on Friday evening.

Vanderbilt pitchers Drake Fellows, Zach King and Tyler Brown combined to allow seven hits, six being singles.

VU (21-5, 5-2 Southeastern Conference) broke open a tie game in the seventh with a pair of runs to get its fifth-consecutive win.

UT’s Justin Ammons hammered the second pitch of the game out to right center for a 1-0 advantage.

Duvall evened things in the third, leading off with a home run that hit the top of the big wall and bounced over.

After Fellows got out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam with no damage thanks to a nice play by second baseman Harrison Ray, VU took its first lead when Bleday crushed a Garrett Stallings pitch well out to right.

Landon Gray’s ground-out in the sixth tied the game. Vanderbilt third baseman Jayson Gonzalez kept the Vols (20-7, 2-5) from going ahead with a diving stop of a Jake Rucker grounder, followed by a dart to first, for the third out.

Gonzalez then singled hard the other way to right off hard-throwing right-hander Andrew Schultz, scoring Paul as VU re-took the lead. Bleday took a bases-loaded walk from Schultz for another run.

King and Brown shut things down from there.

Game 2 is now scheduled for 12:30 Central on Saturday. It was originally scheduled for 8.

Vanderbilt is No. 1 in the RPI as of 10:15 Friday evening.

Starting third baseman Austin Martin, who was injured in a collision with Ethan Paul on Tuesday vs. Lipscomb, sat out Friday.

Paul turned a nifty 6-3 double play to end the second, then, turned one to end the third on a soft liner.

Clarke threw out Jay Charleston trying to steal in the second, and Ammons, in the fifth, both times from his crouch.

Fellows surpassed 200 career innings in the fifth.

Paul hit his 50th career double to lead off the sixth.

King hit 96 on gun in the seventh and struck out the side in that inning.

The Commodores have given up nine runs in their last 54 innings.

Football coach Derek Mason threw out the first pitch.

The crowd was announced at 3,626, the 116th sellout in Hawkins Field history and the third of the season.

Schultz hit 101 and 102 on the stadium gun.

T1: Ammons home run to right center off Fellows. UT, 1-0

V3: Duvall home run to left off Stallings. Tied-1

V4: Bleday home run to right off Stallings. VU, 2-1

T6: Gray ground-out to second scored Russell. Tied-2

V6: Gonzalez single to right scored Paul. V, 3-2

V6: Schultz walks Bleday, scoring Duvall. V, 4-2