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Published Apr 2, 2023
Futrell shuts down Georgia as Vandy gets a sweep
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Chris Lee  •  VandySports
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Vanderbilt lefty Devin Futrell allowed just three runners over eight shutout innings, as the Commodores beat visiting Georgia, 4-0, at Hawkins Field on Sunday and earned a sweep in the three-game series.

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Chris Maldonado's game-high three hits included a solo home run for Vanderbilt, which had 10 hits and 16 base runners, but left 12 on.

The Commodoores (23-5, 9-0 Southeastern Conference) have won 11 in a row.

Futrell did a phenomenal job keeping Georgia hitters off balance with a fastball that sat 86-89, a curve that was in the high-70s and an occasional change. Unlike the previous two days, the wind wasn’t a factor and the Bulldogs—who took a number of strikes—couldn’t seem to figure out what was coming next.

Georgia hit few balls hard off Futrell, who fired 77 of his 111 pitches for strikes. One came with one out in the sixth, when Ben Anderson scorched a ball to right that RJ Screck caught against the wall.

Nick Maldonado allowed a single in the ninth but otherwise, no runners.

It was an impressive feat against a lineup that had scored 237 runs coming in, and 50 in league play.

Sebastian Murillo singled with two out in the third and Will David hit a pop-up double just inches inside the right-field foul line that fell between two men with one out in the fifth. And that was it until Futrell got up 0-2 on Fernando Gonzalez and couldn’t finish him off, and Gonzalez eventually singled past third on that at-bat.

Futrell then went 3-0 to Murillo before getting a harmless fly ball to center on a 3-1 pitch and another fly ball to shallow center on an off speed pitch for the final out of the eighth.

Maldonado, leading off the seventh, hammered a low slider a few rows over the 375-foot sign in left off lefty Charlie Goldstein to make it 4-0 in the seventh.

Schreck led off the third with a hustle double and scored when RJ Austin bounced a single over short. Parker Noland later drove Austin in with a sacrifice bunt.

Jack Bulger's ground-out scored Enrique Bradfield Jr. in the fourth, making it 3-0.

Vanderbilt hosts Western Kentucky at Hawkins Field on Tuesday, then, travels to Missouri for a three-game series that begins Thursday.