ATHENS – If the top of the Vanderbilt’s batting order clicks like it did in Friday night’s opener at Georgia, watch out the rest of the year.
Just ask the 16th-ranked Bulldogs, after Enrique Bradfield Jr., Calvin Hewett, Spencer Jones, and Dominic Keegan went a combined 11 for 20 with nine runs and seven RBI to pace the Commodores to an 11-9 win.
With the victory, Vanderbilt improves to 30-14, 11-11 in the SEC Eastern Division. Georgia falls to 31-15, 12-10 in the Eastern Division.
Bradfield Jr. was a menace.
The sophomore went 4-for-5 with four runs scored, while extending his streak of stolen bases to a perfect 31 for 31 with a trio of thefts Friday night.
Keegan homered for the ninth time this year. Designated hitter Javier Vaz went 3 for 4 with his fourth homer and drove in two.
Six of Vanderbilt’s 11 runs came after two were out.
Give a tip of the cap to closer Thomas Schultz.
Up by one, Georgia had the base loaded and only one out when head coach Tim Corbin brought in the righty to face left-handed hitters Cole Wagner and Corey Collins.
Schultz responded by striking out Wagner looking before getting Collins on a flyout to right to keep the score 10-9.
Vanderbilt struck first in the top of the second with a solo home run by Vaz after falling behind in the count 1-2.
Vaz’s blast, his fourth, bounced high off the scoreboard in right field before bounding back onto the field.
The Bulldogs tied the game off starter Christian Little (1-1) in the inning’s bottom half on a groundout by Josh McAllister before a three-run third pushed the Commodores ahead 4-1.
An RBI double Jones brought up Keegan who homered on the first he pitch he saw from Crisp pushing the lead to 4-1.
Georgia tacked on a second run in the bottom of the third on an odd play. Following a bloop double by Connor Tate, Ben Anderson stopped at third. However, when cutoff man Carter Young failed to throw the ball in, Anderson took off for home and beat the throw to bring Georgia within 4-2.
A solo home run by McAllister cut the lead 4-3 but the Commodores were not done.
Vaz drove in his second run with a two-out double to right center before lefty Nelson Berkwich took over for to pitch the bottom of the fifth.
Berkwich allowed a two-out RBI single to Chaney Rogers for his first earned run of the year.
There was more offense to come.
A ground-rule double by Jack Bulger capped a three-run sixth only to be answered by Georgia with three of its own before Nick Maldonado retired Harber on a hard grounder to short ending the inning.
The tit for tat would continue.
Vanderbilt and Georgia traded a pair of runs in the seventh. Following Schultz’s Houdini act in the eighth, Vanderbilt added a run in the ninth to account for the final score.
Vanderbilt’s two-run seventh was answered by two more by the Bulldogs in the inning’s bottom half.
NOTE: Second baseman Tate Kolwyck appeared to injure his left wrist attempting to knock down an infield hit by Connor Tate in the sixth inning. He was replaced by Jonathan Vastine. … The two teams meet again Saturday at 1 with Chris McElvain (5-3, 3.53) facing Georgia ace Jonathan Cannon (8-1, 2.04).
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