Here's what happened in Vanderbilt's 2-1 series win over Arkansas at Hawkins Field this weekend.
What went right
After struggling in the Georgia series, Vanderbilt put 15 runs on MTSU on Wednesday and continued its onslaught against Arkansas this weekend. VU scored 25 runs on 30 hits, which included six doubles, a triple and six home runs. VU walked 18 times and had batters hit by pitches three times, making for 51 base runners in 25 innings against a squad that had a 3.66 ERA entering gate weekend.
Lots of players hit well, but catcher Philip Clarke was near the top of the list. The sophomore was 5 for 8 at the plate with a homer, a double, four walks, four runs scored and eight driven in. First baseman Julian Infante was good for a pair of home runs as part of a 4-for-8, one-walk weekend. And then there was right fielder J.J. Bleday, who went 4 for 8 with a homer, four walks and a hit-by-pitch.
Closer Tyler Brown came up big on Friday, retiring all three hitters he faced while striking out three of them to earn his seventh save.
Two of VU's three starts from pitchers were outstanding; more on that in a moment.
In all, VU took two of three from the defending national runner-up, a team ranked No. 6 in the RPI, and finished the weekend itself ranked third in the RPI.
What went wrong
The bullpen was ugly this weekend. It combined to give up 12 runs (all earned) in 10 innings, giving up 16 hits, seven walks and a hit batsman, while fanning nine. Other than Brown's Friday outing, only A.J. Franklin's appearance (a scoreless inning Saturday with a 10-run lead) could be considered a success among the eight overall outings from the 'pen.
Starter Patrick Raby struggled for the second straight week, giving up five runs (all earned). Raby was tremendous until last week's start vs. Georgia, but has now given up 11 runs (all earned in his last six innings over those starts, yielding a whopping 15 hits, five walks and a hit batsman.
Raby also hasn't caught any breaks, giving up an astounding .682 batting average on balls in in play in 22 at-bats in that span.
Pitching MVP
Drake Fellows and Kumar Rocker.
Rocker was better (seven shutout innings, four hits, no walks, seven strikeouts) but also had a seven-run cushion when he took the mound on Sunday. Rocker could easily have had a perfect game heading into the sixth if not for a couple of defensive plays that debatably could have been made.
Fellows locked horns with Arkansas starter Isaiah Campbell and held his own, improving to 7-0 after giving up one second-inning run while scattering seven hits and two walks, striking out nine. He left with a 3-1 lead.
Lineup MVP
Austin Martin started all three games at third and was incredible. The sophomore went 8 for 10 with a triple and a homer, walked twice and was hit by a pitch. He didn't make an error in the field and didn't strike out. Martin was picked off in a key spot on Sunday, the only bad thing you could say about his weekend.
Notes
Starting center fielder Pat DeMarco wasn't on the weekend roster. DeMarco has been out with a leg injury since March 17 (Texas A&M) but should return soon.
His center field replacement, Cooper Davis, also aggravated his leg injury early in Saturday's game. Davis exited and was replaced by Isaiah Thomas. Davis pinch hit in the ninth inning on Sunday.
Left-hander Jackson Gillis didn't pitch this weekend. VU instead had lefty Joe Gobilliot, whose one collegiate inning game on Tuesday vs. MTSU, warming up late on Sunday. Gillis has thrown just a third of an inning in Southeastern Conference play this season, and just five innings total.
