NASHVILLE, Tenn.—Vanderbilt got home runs from J.J. Bleday and Julian Infante, and a solid start from Patrick Raby, as the Commodores beat Tennessee, 10-4, on Saturday at Hawkins Field.
Center fielder Cooper Davis added three hits, three runs and three RBIs for Vandy (22-5, 6-2 Southeastern Conference). Bleday and Infante each had two hits.
Raby had a rough start, but settled in, starting with the third. He ran his record to 5-0, giving up three runs (all earned), eight hits and one walk over 5 1/3 innings. Lefty Hugh Fisher finished with 3 2/3 innings, picking up his second save.
The Commodores exploded for seven in the first two innings, and never trailed from there.
It’s Vandy’s sixth win in a row. The Commodores clinched the three-game series.
But it didn’t start well.
Davis mis-judged a line drive with one out in the first, coming off the bat of Tennessee left fielder and cleanup hitter Alerick Soularie. It went under his glove and was ruled a double, allowing a run to score and two men to go into scoring position.
DH Evan Russell’s sac fly to center scored another before Raby got out of a two-out jam with a strikeout.
Vandy tied it on the second. Davis singled, stole second and came home when Bleday singled on a soft liner to left and left fielder Stephen Scott followed with a hard liner to right.
The Commodores tied it when Philip Clarke grounded back to starting pitcher Zach Lingenfelter and beat the throw to first on an attempted double play.
After the Vols got an unearned run in the second, Infante launched a towering homer into a strong cross-wind and well over the big wall in left to tie.
After third baseman Jayson Gonzalez doubled to deep left-center, Davis did the same to deep right-center to bring in two.
The wind, which had been blowing in, suddenly changed direction. Bleday took advantage with a rocket to right that left the hard for his 11th homer of the year.
Bunt singles by Davis and second baseman Harrison Ray started the fourth. Scott reached on a fielder’s choice when shortstop Ricky Martinez couldn’t field second baseman Jake Rucker’s toss for a force at second.
The bases were loaded, and when Clarke grounded to Martinez, a run scored. Another came home on the play due to a throwing error on Rucker.
The Vols put a pair on against Raby with one out, and then loaded the bases against Fisher. But the lefty struck out Justin Ammons swinging on (according to the stadium gun) a 97-mile-an-hour fastball to end the top of the sixth.
Notes
It’s the 11th time VU has scored double-digit runs in a game.
Starting third baseman Austin Martin missed his second straight game. Martin exited late in Tuesday’s Lipscomb game after colliding with Paul.
Starting center fielder Pat DeMarco missed his seventh straight contest.
Soularie’s extra-base hit was the first off Raby this season, a streak that spanned 32 innings.
Ty Duvall was the de facto starter at DH, though he was technically a pinch-hitter for Drake Fellows, last night’s starting pitcher.
Raby’s ERA is now 1.22.
Attendance was 3,512.
Scoring summary
T1: Soularie double to center off Raby scored Charleston. TN, 1-0
T1: Russell sacrifice fly to center scored Andre Lipcius. TN, 2-0
V1: Scott single to right scored Davis. TN, 2-1
V1: Clarke ground-out scored Bleday. Tied-2
T2: Rucker single to right off Raby scored Ferguson. TN, 3-2
V2: Infante homer to left. Tied-3
V2: Davis double to right-center scored Duvall and Gonzalez. VU, 5-3
V2: Bleday home run off Lingenfelter scored Davis. VU, 7-3
V4: Davis scored on Clarke’s ground out, Ray scored on throwing error by Rucker. VU, 9-3
V5: Gonzalez single to left-center scored Infante. VU, 10-3
T9: Pavolony home run to left-center off Fisher. VU, 10-4
