Kentucky made it interesting late, but Vanderbilt, led by closer Thomas Schultz, hung on for a 5-3 win at Kentucky Proud Park in Lexington, Ky., on Sunday.

Schultz got a pair of strikeouts and a line-out to Spencer Jones in the ninth in escaping a two-on, two-out jam and preserving a win for starter Bryce Cunningham (four innings, one run).

Enrique Bradfield Jr. had a homer, a single, a steal and two runs scored as well as the defensive play of the game to save an extra-base hit at a crucial time. Jack Bulger and Tate Kowyck led Vanderbilt (28-11, 9-9) with three hits each.

The Commodores had 13 hits but left 13 men on. However, the Wildcats could also lament missed opportunities after leaving seven on and hitting into three double plays.

Vanderbilt led 5-0 heading into the bottom of the fourth, and watched Kentucky chip away with a run in the bottom of the inning and two more in the seventh. The Wildcats also threatened in the sixth (leaving two on then) and again in the seventh, when the Commodores got bailed out on a double play when Daniel Harris IV was ruled out for base-running interference on an attempted double play by shortstop Carter Young.

That particular play came on Schultz's first hitter he faced after coming on for Nelson Berkwich. Schultz got a pair of strikeouts and a ground-out in the eighth, holding the lead at two.

Bradfield led off the game with a home run to left center off Kentucky starter Seth Logue. After singles from Bulger and Jones, Kentucky coach Nick Mingione went to Sean Harney, who gave up a single through second to Dominic Keegan (the first hitter he faced) for a 2-0 lead.

After going down 0-2, Kolwyck ripped a single off shortstop Ryan Ritter’s glove for a third run. However, Vandy left the bases loaded in that inning and then Keegan hit into a double play to end the second, that coming one hitter after Jones singled in Bradfield (who’d singled and stolen second to start the inning).

Kentucky’s Jacob Plastiak homered off starter Cunningham in the fourth and with two on and two out in the fifth, nearly did it again off Nick Maldonado. But Bradfield made a tremendous running grab moving to his right to leap to the top of the wall and take away extra bases, if not a home run.

Kentucky started the seventh when the leadoff man reached second via an error by first baseman Parker Noland. After Maldonado gave up a double to Ritter, Hunter Jump singled off Berkwich in the one hitter he faced to cut the lead to two.

The Commodores, who won the series, don't have a mid-week game this week. They'll open a three-game series at home with Texas A&M on Thursday at 7 Central, a game shown on ESPNU.

VU 1: Bradfield home run to left center. VU, 1-0

VU 1: Keegan single scored Bulger. VU, 2-0

VU 1: Kolwyck single scored Jones. VU, 3-0

VU 2: Jones single to center scored Bradfield. VU, 4-0

VU 4: Keegan single to left scored Bulger. VU, 5-0

KY 4: Plastiak home run to right. VU, 5-1

KY 7: Ritter double to left scored Felker. VU, 5-2

KY 7: Jump single to center scored Ritter. VU, 5-3