Vandy bombs Florida in Game 3
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – For the better part of three innings, No. 8 Vanderbilt had no answer for Florida starter Tyler Dyson. Then, center fielder Cooper Davis stepped up to lead off the fourth.
Davis reached on a bunt single and three batters later, Stephen Scott roped a grand slam off the right-field foul pole to erase an early two-run deficit and highlight a 14-2 win against the No. 14 Gators on Saturday afternoon at Hawkins Field. The victory capped Vandy’s first sweep of Florida since 2007.
The Commodores (19-5, 4-2 SEC) batted .351 as a team in three games against the Gators (16-10, 1-5 SEC), outscoring the club 34-6. Stephen Scott and Austin Martin each registered six hits while Ethan Paul paced the squad with seven RBIs.
Following the Davis bunt in the fourth, Martin lined a single into center and JJ Bleday reached on a walk to set the stage for Scott who clocked an 0-1 slider off the foul pole for the Dores’ third grand slam of the season and second of the month.
Two innings later, Philip Clarke swatted a three-run homer into right center. The catcher’s fourth long ball of the season and a Harrison Ray infield single chased Dyson (3-1). The right-hander allowed eight runs on five hits across five innings.
Ray doubled home two in the seventh and Martin replicated the feat in the eighth. Then, Bleday belted his team-leading seventh home run into right center. Four Commodores produced multiple-hit performances including Scott (2-for-4) who drove in four and scored three times.
Vanderbilt starter Kumar Rocker (2-2) fanned a season-high six batters while scattering five hits and allowing two runs in six innings. Tyler Brown secured his team-high fifth save, holding the Gators to a pair of runs and three hits while striking out four in the final three innings.
The result marked the first time Vandy had produced double-digit runs against the Gators in consecutive games since doing so in four straight from April 2, 2006-April 29, 2007. The Commodores have scored 10-plus runs in 10 games this season.
The Dores return to action at First Tennessee Park on Tuesday, taking on Lipscomb at 6:30 p.m. Vanderbilt will serve as the home team for the contest. Vandy will be back at Hawkins Field on Friday, opening a three-game series against Tennessee at 6:30 p.m.