EVANSVILLE, Ind. – A four-run sixth inning by the #9 Vanderbilt Commodores baseball team was too much to overcome on Wednesday night for the visiting University of Evansville, as the homestanding Commodores posted a 7-3 victory over UE at Hawkins Field in Nashville, Tennessee.
“Tonight was a close game that just didn’t go our way, as we were one batter away from bringing the tying run to the plate in the ninth inning,†said UE head coach Wes Carroll. “We ran into some really good arms tonight, and we weren’t able to deliver as many barrels as we needed, and then I felt like we hurt ourselves in a couple of innings by just not playing clean, crisp, defensive baseball.
“I thought that we got a real warrior effort on the mound by our starter Shane Harris. And, it was nice to see the effort by Jakob Meyer tonight as well. That was great to see, as we really need him going forward this season.â€
Vanderbilt struck first for two runs in the first inning, getting the second run just in ahead of a tag with two outs that had to be reviewed by video to confirm. UE then got one run back in the third inning on a two-out RBI double by graduate outfielder Mark Shallenberger off the wall in left field to make it a 2-1 contest.
Harris held Vanderbilt at bay after the first inning, striking out six men against just one walk while yielding the two first-inning runs on five hits over 4.0 innings of work.
The Commodores would get a run in the fifth inning after Harris left the game on a run-scoring fielder’s choice ground out to push the lead to 3-1, before breaking things open with a four-run sixth inning while using ‘small ball.’
After a one-out walk and stolen base, a single to right field put men on the corners. Then, junior outfielder Jacob Humphrey scored a run on a bunt base hit to open the scoring. Sophomore RJ Austin followed with an RBI single to right field, before aggressive base running on a strikeout that bounced in the dirt brought in Vanderbilt’s third run of the frame on the throw down to first base. Junior catcher Alan Espinal then bounced a ball past a diving UE defender into left field to push the Vanderbilt lead to 7-1.
Evansville would answer back in the seventh inning on a 423-foot home run to dead center field by senior first baseman Kip Fougerousse to trim the deficit to 7-2, before staging one last rally in the ninth inning.
After a lead-off walk and a single by senior shortstop Simon Scherry, UE advanced both men to scoring position in the ninth inning on a wild pitch. Graduate catcher Brendan Hord was then able to drive in a run on a one-out ground ball that was booted for an error. With men on the corners and only one out, UE had the tying run in the on-deck circle, but Vanderbilt’s reliever Brennan Seiber got a strike out and a line-out to center field to end the threat and the contest.
With the victory, Vanderbilt improves to 7-3 on the season, while Evansville sees its record even at 4-4. UE will now return home to host Purdue Fort Wayne in a four-game series beginning on Friday night at 5 p.m. at German American Bank Field at Charles H. Braun Stadium.
