Raby, Infante help Vandy down Missouri on Friday

NASHVILLE, Tenn.—Julian Infante had a bases-loaded triple, and right-hander Patrick Raby had another great start, as Vanderbilt beat Missouri, 5-2, at Hawkins Field on Saturday night.

Infante’s triple off the top of the wall in the fifth broke open a tie game and put the Commodores ahead for good.

Raby (8-3) pitched 6 2/3 innings and gave up just five hits and two runs, striking out six and throwing 24 first-pitch strikes in a 121-pitch outing.

Reed Hayes, who also knocked in a run as Vandy’s designated hitter, pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings for his seventh save.

Vanderbilt (28-17, 11-10 Southeastern Conference) has now won all 15 of its games all-time against Missouri.

With one out in the second, Missouri second baseman Robbie Glendinning hammered a Raby pitch just over the fence in straight-away center for the game’s first run.

The Commodores punched back in the third. Harrison Ray led off the third with a single up the middle, then, Connor Kaiser dropped down a great bunt down third as Missouri catcher Brett Bond had difficulty fielding on the wet turf, and Kaiser easily reached on what was ruled an error. Ro Coleman bunted each over, and Jeren Kendall knocked in the tying run with a grounder to second.

Vanderbilt loaded the bases with nobody out in the fifth without getting the ball out of the infield, the only hit being a Kendall bunt single down third. Infante then hammered a drive off the wall in center off starter Cole Bartlett, and slid into third just in time.

Three runs scored, and Infante came home on a Hayes fly ball to center. After his 121st pitch, which walked Connor Brumfield, Raby left in favor of Drake Fellows, who gave up a sharp single to Kirby McGuire for a run, then, issued a walk to load the bases.

Fellows, though, recovered to strike cleanup hitter Brett Bond out on a 2-2 pitch out of the zone for the third out, keeping it at 5-2.

Missouri made it interesting in the eighth, putting two on with two out against Zach King before Hayes struck out pinch-hitter A.J. Lewis to end the inning.

Vandy’s Kyle Wright faces Missouri’s Tanner Houck on Saturday at 2 p.m. Both are likely first-round picks in this year’s Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.

Attendance was announced at 2,936. Between the Predators playoff game and a damp night that included temperatures in the 40s, actual attendance wasn’t half that.

VU catcher Jason Delay gunned down Kirby McGuire stealing to end the Missouri third.

Hayes hit 94 on the radar gun.

Coach Tim Corbin said that he didn’t pull Fellows in anticipation of a weekday start against Louisville, and that the VU pitching plan is structured around winning this weekend and worrying about that later.

Missouri right fielder Trey Harris appeared to injure his shoulder in play at home plate in the first inning, and departed later in the game.

M2: Glendinning homer to center off Raby. M, 1-0

V3: Kendall ground-out off Bartlett scores Ray. T-1

V5: Infante triple to center off Bartlett scored Coleman, Kendall and Infante. V, 4-1

V5: Hayes sacrifice fly to center off Bartlett scored Infante. V, 5-1

M7: McGuire single off Fellows scores Cornelius. V, 5-2