NASHVILLE, Tenn.--Catcher Alan Espinal hit a pair of home runs and drove in five runs, leading Vanderbilt to a 13-1, seven-inning victory over UAB at Hawkins Field on Wednesday afternoon.
Matthew Polk also added a home run, a two-run job preceding Espinal's second bomb, which came in the sixth. Polk, RJ Austin and Davis Diaz all drove in two as the Commodores improved to 3-2. Vanderbilt managed 11 hits and 21 runners in six offensive innings.
Three Commodore pitchers--Greysen Carter, David Horn and Ryan Ginther--combined to allow three hits, four walks and seven strikeouts. Horn got the win, his first career victory.
Espinal’s first home run came off Colin Daniel. It was a line drive just into the bleachers over the short wall in left and registered 113 miles off the bat, scoring Polk and Diaz.
The second came off Matthew Reed and was a moonshot over the big wall in left.
They're the second and third in two games for Espinal, who hit a grand slam in Sunday's game at Texas before sitting out Tuesday's Central Arkansas game.
"I'm happy he helped our team more than anything," Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin said. "He released the [bat] head a couple of times, caught a good ballgame, he always gives you good energy on the field.
"The kids certainly back him because of who he is and how he plays a team role when he doesn't play. He's a unique kid."
After being no-hit into the fifth yesterday in a loss to UCA, Vandy wasted no time scoring on Wednesday.
Enrique Bradfield Jr. led off with a bunt single, appeared to be picked off but kept running and reached safely on a bad throw, and was off and running whe Austin hit a grounder through third, scoring easily.
The Blazers got that back in the second when Logan Braunschweig scored on Jonathan Vastine’s throwing error.
The Commodores didn't score in the second and third, but got three in the fourth, five in the fifth and four in the sixth. With the teams having agreed to the 10-run mercy rule applying after 6 1/2 innings, Ginter's scoreless seventh ended the game amidst a steady rainfall.
Carter’s first inning was electric. His fastball sat between 96-99 and touched 100 twice, and had about 14 inches of vertical movement. He threw that for 20 of his first 21 pitches, striking out leadoff man John Marc Mullins with what looked like a 91-mile-an-hour change-up.
"I saw him compete," Corbin said. "The overriding piece to me is he got out there, he threw the baseball hard, he threw it well. He gave up a couple of bases but the nature of him and attacking the hitter. I think we got good use out of him today. It was a great outing today."
Scoring
VU 1: Austin single scored Bradfield Jr.. VU 1-0
UAB 3: Hall reaches on fielder's choice, scoring Braunschweig. Tied-1
VU 4: Espinal home run to left scores Diaz, Polk. VU, 4-1
VU 5: Scheck scored on Diaz sacrifice fly/error. VU, 5-1
VU 5: Vastine double to left-center scored Hewett. VU, 6-1
VU 5: Espinal walk scored Diaz. VU, 7-1
VU 5: Bradfield Jr. sacrifice fly to right scored Vastine. VU, 8-1
VU 5: Austin infield single scored Polk. VU, 9-1
VU 6: Diaz single to left-center scored Hewett. VU, 10-1
VU 6: Polk home run to left scores Diaz. VU, 12-1
VU 6: Espinal home run to left. VU, 13-1
