Vanderbilt freshman Devin Futrell threw six shutout innings as the Commodores beat host Oregon State, 8-1, in a Sunday night game of the Corvallis regional of the NCAA tournament.

Vanderbilt jumped on OSU for three runs in the second inning and never looked back. Catcher Jack Bulger had three hits and drove in a run, right fielder Spencer Jones homered and singled and knocked in two while designated hitter Javier Vaz had two RBIs for the Commodores, who had 11 hits.

Vandy put it away with a three-run sixth, with Vaz delivering a clutch two-out, two-RBI double.

But the star of the day was Futrell, who threw 93 pitches, scattered seven runners and didn't allow an extra-base hit. The Commodores--who lost their first game of the tournament on Friday, and have won their next three--had to have both quality and longevity from their freshman, and they got it. Futrell kept the Beavers off-balance with his change-up (his best pitch) and a fastball that sat around 87.

Thomas Schultz threw three innings (on 48 pitches), allowing one unearned run, to finish.

Vandy (39-22) and the Beavers (46-16) meet again on Monday night in a winner-take-all game. If Vanderbilt were to win on Monday, it would likely head to Auburn--which led UCLA 9-0 in the sixth in the title game of the Auburn regional before a lightning delay came at 10:42 p.m.--for a super regional next weekend.

Futrell had a challenging first inning, but things worked out anyway.

With one out, Wade Meckler hit a bloop single over short on a check swing and then he walked Garrett Forrester. But he escaped with no runs after a pair of ground-outs to Keegan. In the second, he gave up a bunt single but then returned the side in order, though a couple of balls were hit hard.

From there, he settled down, facing four hitters in the third and fifth and five in the sixth while retiring the side in order in the fourth.

Vanderbilt--the home team--caught a number of breaks in the bottom of the second.

Keegan took a four-pitch walk to lead off and then Parker Noland got an infield single on a ball hit to first on which starting pitcher Jacob Kmatz covered the bag and beat Noland, but didn’t get his foot on the bag. The Commodores then had Calvin Hewett bunt down first, and he laid one down that got the runners and should have been an out at first.

But Kmatz air-mailed the throw into right, Keegan scored and Vandy put two in scoring position. Bulger then got jammed and hit a blooper over second for a third run.

Jones hit a towering homer to right-center for a 4-0 lead.

Hewett’s single to left followed by seeing-eye grounders that slipped through the infield from Bulger and Tate Kolwyck added another run in the fifth.

In the sixth, with Davis Diaz on third and Kolwyck on second, Vaz drove in two with a ball hit up the middle and hustled to turn a single into a double. Jones then followed with another RBI through the infield.

Futrell's the fourth Commodore starter to go at least six innings in this tournament, giving Vanderbilt a fighting shot in Monday night's winner-take all game.

So does Vanderbilt's lineup. After coming into the tournament in an offensive slump, the Commodores have scored 45 runs in four games.

VU 2: Keegan scored on sacrifice bunt/Kmatz throwing error. VU, 1-0

VU 2: Noland scored on Kmatz’s wild pitch. VU, 2-0

VU 2: Bulger single over second scored Hewett. VU, 3-0

VU 3: Jones home run to right center. VU, 4-0

VU 4: Kolwyck single through short scored Hewett. VU, 5-0

VU 6: Vaz single through the middle scored Diaz, Kolwyck. VU, 7-0

VU 6: Jones single though the middle scored Vaz. VU, 8-0

OSU 7: Boyd scored on Bulger's throwing error. VU, 8-1