Fellows, Vanderbilt smack Kentucky 8-1 in Game 1

In a game with significant postseason implications, Vanderbilt played perhaps its best game of the year in an 8-1 thumping of Kentucky at Hawkins Field in Nashville, Tenn., on Thursday night.

Starting pitcher Drake Fellows went 7 1/3 innings, giving up three hits, no walks and just one run (which was earned), striking out six and running his record to 6-4 with the victory.

The Commodores out-hit UK, 12-4, with four players--Philip Clarke, Connor Kaiser, Stephen Scott and Julian Infante--all registering multiple hits.

Clarke led VU with three hits and three RBI, while Pat DeMarco added a two-run home run.

The offensive output was significant in that much of it it came against Kentucky's 6-foot-11 Sean Hjelle, the 2017 SEC Pitcher of the Year, and a possible first-round pick in next months' MLB Draft.

Hjelle struck out nine VU hitters, but the Commodores touched him for eight hits and four runs, all earned, in six-plus innings.

So was the pitching performance. Kentucky averages 7.3 runs per game and have smashed 77 homers, but Fellows, battling a tight strike zone, registered an incredible 16 ground-ball outs against just one fly-ball out.

A bunch of those went to Kaiser at short, who anchored a defense that didn't make an error.

Vanderbilt (29-24, 14-14 Southeastern Conference) clinched an above-.500 record pre-NCAA Tournament, a must if it wants an at-large bid. The Commodores need just one win to achieve .500 in SEC play, which is usually good enough to punch an NCAA Tournament ticket.

Vandy struck for a run immediately, when Austin Martin walked to lead off the game, then scored on Clarke's double to right.

Clarke rolled a double to the wall in left-center that scored Martin from first, accounting for the game's second run in the fifth.

A Kaiser single and a Scott double added two more runs in the frame.

In the seventh, DeMarco launched a two-run bomb over the big wall in left off Brett Marshall.

Vandy's Chandler Day closed the game, giving up the run that Fellows left on base, but struck out three without allowing the 'Cats to scratch again.

It could prove large that VU got into the UK bullpen. Hjelle threw 123 pitches, and the 'Cats have not announced a Game 2 starter.

Justin Lewis, another potential high MLB pick, has been the usual starter, but Lewis has recently had arm troubles.

Kentucky hasn't announced a starter for Friday's game, which starts at 6:30, but VU will go with Patrick Raby.

Vanderbilt's RPI stands at 35 as of 10:20 Central on Tuesday night, with a strength of schedule of 5. The Commodores are now 16-16 against RPI top-50 teams.

Infante hadn't started the past five games. The junior hit ninth, going 2-for-3 with a strikeout. Infante came off the bench Tuesday and walked in both his plate appearances.

Scott started at catcher.

Harrison Ray started at third, where he's started four of the past five contests.

Kaiser uncharacteristically hit in the cleanup spot.

VU 1: Clarke double to right scored Martin. VU, 1-0

VU 5: Clarke double to left-center scored Martin. VU, 2-0

VU 5: Kaiser single to right scored Clarke. VU, 3-0

VU 5: Scott double to right scored Kaiser. VU, 4-0

VU 7: DeMarco homer to left scored Kaiser. VU, 6-0

UK 8: Pompey double to right scored Aklinsky. VU, 6-1

VU 8: Clarke single to right scored Infante. VU, 7-1

VU 8: Kaiser single to left scored Martin. VU, 8-1