Two-run fifth knocks Vanderbilt out of Hoover

Texas A&M scored two runs on three singles off Vanderbilt starter Tyler Brown in the fifth inning, as the Aggies came from behind to beat the Commodores, 3-1, in the first game of the Southeastern Conference Stadium at Regions Park in Hoover, Ala., on Tuesday.

A&M's Cole Bedford and Michael Helman had run-scoring singles for the Aggies (37-19), who'll face Georgia at 9:30 Wednesday morning.

The Commodores, who had historically done well in the SEC Tournament under coach Tim Corbin, haven't won a game in the event since 2015.

Vanderbilt returns to Nashville, where it will await its draw in the upcoming NCAA Baseball Tournament, which starts a week from Friday.

Vanderbilt's Austin Martin led the Commodores (31-25) with three of the Commodores' eight hits, and Julian Infante added two. But seven of those were singles, and VU left eight on base.

Brown (1-4) struck out four, walked one and gave up four singles and a double. He gave up two runs (one earned) and took the loss.

Aggie starter Kaylor Chafin struggled early, giving up six base runners in the first two innings. But the Commodores left five on in those two innings, then, failed to send any more than four hitters to the plate from there against he and Nolan Hoffman, who pitched three innings for his 13th save.

The Commodores turned double plays in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth, but oddly enough, it was one in the fifth that accounted for the winning run.

Bedford's single off Brown tied the game at 1 earlier in the fifth, then, Helman grounded to shortstop Connor Kaiser with one out and men on first and second. Kaiser threw to second baseman Ethan Paul for the force at second, but Paul rushed his throw to first and it went wide of Infante at first.

The ball careened back to Infante, who threw Helman out at first. But Bedford scored on the play and the Aggies led 2-1.

In the seventh, with two out, Helman dropped down a bunt that caught third baseman Jayson Gonzalez by surprise, and he reached easily as George Janca scored.

Vandy got the leadoff man on four times, including Ty Duvall's pinch-hit double. But VU failed to advance Duvall past second, left Philip Clarke at first with one out in the eighth.

Then, VU just missed a home run when pinch hitter Garrett Blaylock, the game's last hitter, flied out to right, as Wingate leapt and caught the ball at the top edge of the wall to end the 'Dores stay in Hoover.

Rain is forecast all week in Hoover, and this one started under a light mist. By the second inning, heavier rain moved in, and there was standing water on the infield.

It certainly seemed to affect Brown, who exhibited terrific control, striking out tow in the first inning, until the wet conditions took that away.

He hit Wingate, the third batter of the second, in the shoulder on an 0-2 count. Then, with Janca at the plate with men on first and second with one out and a 1-0 count, Brown's next pitch hit the home plate umpire in the mask and moved runners up one more base.

The umpires then suspended the game, which re-started about an hour later.

And once play resumed, so did Brown's control. He worked the count to 3-2 on Janca before coaxing a pop-up to second, then got a fly ball a few feet shy of the track in center to keep the game scoreless.

After leaving the bases loaded in the first, VU scratched in the second when Martin's line-drive single to center scored Infante, who'd singled to lead off.

Corbin has now won 59.6 percent of his SEC Tournament games, compared to 57.9 of his regular-season SEC contests.

VU had won at least one game in 10 straight SEC Tournaments, but hasn't won the last two seasons. The Commodores are on a four-game SEC Tournament losing streak.

Infante started a 3-6-3 double play to end the third.

The Commodores went with the same batting order they used in their last game (a 9-6 win over Kentucky on Saturday), with the exception of switching Martin (who played center on Saturday) and Pat DeMarco (who'd played right) in the field.

Vandy is now 23-10 coming in with J.J. Bleday in the lineup, and 8-15 without him.

Bleday has reached base in 22 consecutive games after he singled his first time up.

Gonzalez is 0-for-his-last-21 with 11 strikeouts against SEC teams. He grounded out and flied out before being lifted for Duvall in the seventh.

VU 2: Martin single to center scored Infante. VU, 1-0

TAM 5: Wingate scored on Bedford's single through the right side. Tied-1

TAM 5: Bedford scored on Paul's throwing error. TAM, 2-1

TAM 7: Janca scored on Helman's infield single. TAM, 3-1