NASHVILLE, Tenn.—Vanderbilt’s Devin Futrell threw five innings of one-run ball, Jonathan Vastine homered and the Commodores got a much-needed, 4-2 win over Louisville at Hawkins Field on Tuesday night in the annual "Battle of the Barrel" game.
Futrell was terrific, throwing five innings, allowing just four runners in an 81-pitch outing spanning 81 pitches.
The Commodores played errorless ball behind their pitchers, who fanned nine, walked one and hit two.
"My fastball command really helped me out in the long run," Futrell said afterwards. "I was able to get up and in on righties. I kind of lean on that the majority of my outing and everything else seemed to be working."
The Cardinals got a home run from Isaac Humphrey in the ninth and then loaded the bases with two outs. Miller Green came on to fan pinch-hitter Brandon Anderson on breaking balls to pick up his third save.
Davis Diaz had two of Vanderbilt’s five hits. The Commodores scored two in the first and two in the fifth.
It was a much-needed win for Vanderbilt (33-16), which was swept decisively at Georgia last weekend.
"It's just for the kids," coach Tim Corbin said. "Good win for them. Happy for them that they were able to play well, play both sides of the baseball, pitched well, kept a good-hitting team off base. They can really run and they can't run if they can't get to first base and we made it really difficult on him."
Louisville’s Zion Rose blooped an opposite-field double to right off Futrell for the game’s first run with one out in the first.
But on the first pitch the Commodores saw, Vastine hit a rocket into the bleachers in center to tie it. They added another in the inning on Cam Kozeal’s RBI single.
But Louisville’s Carson Liggett retired the side in order in the second and third, and then Kaleb Corbett did that in the fourth.
Vandy creatively added two runs in the fourth. Matthew Polk reached on catcher’s interference and then after moving over on a sacrifice bunt and a wild pitch, took home when catcher Luke Napleton threw the ball into left trying to pick him off third.
Vastine reached on a walk two hitters later, stole second, took third on the error and came home on RJ Austin’s ground-out for a 4-1 lead.
Futrell, meanwhile, settled down from the second on. The Cardinals got single hits in the second and third but nothing else until Luke Guth allowed a one-out double to Gavin Kilen.
"I just saw more confidence after the second inning," Corbin said of Futrell. "I thought he did a nice job with his fastball. I think that was the big part of it, fastball command in and out. I could just see a rhythm to him that I haven't seen in a while so good for Devin, he really needed that.
Humphrey homered off Brennan Seiber in the ninth. Corbin pulled him for Ryan Ginther, who struck out Kilen but then allowed a single and a hit batsman before Corbin pulled him for Green, who got Anderson to chase on a ball low and away.
Vanderbilt hosts top-ranked Tennessee in a three-game series starting Friday at Hawkins Field.
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