HOOVER, Ala. – Vanderbilt could not capitalize on several scoring opportunities and saw an early one-run lead slip away in a 3-1 loss to Texas A&M and first-round exit at the Southeastern Conference Tournament on Tuesday at Hoover Met Stadium.
The six-seed Commodores (31-25) finished just 2-for-16 (.125) with runners on base and 1-for-8 (.125) with runners in scoring position, spoiling a solid effort on the mound from Vandy starter Tyler Brown and three relief pitchers.
Vandy jumped ahead 1-0 on a two-out single from Austin Martin (3-for-4) in the second inning but the 11-seed Aggies (37-19) re-captured the lead when three hits and a Commodore error led to two runs in the fifth inning.
Texas A&M’s Michael Helman added insurance in the seventh, using a well-placed two-out bunt single to score George Janca, who led off with a single before advancing to third on a pair of groundouts.
Brown (1-4) was saddled with the loss despite logging five innings and overcoming a one-hour rain delay in the second inning. The freshman permitted five hits and two runs (one earned) while striking out four and walking another.
Martin collected his 16th multi-hit game and drove in Vandy’s lone run. Julian Infante (2-for-4) moved his reached-base streak to five games and came around to score after leading off the second with a single.
Jackson Gillis and Chandler Day each tossed one scoreless inning. Maddux Conger permitted two hits and a run while striking out two in two innings of work.
The Dores allowed nine hits but limited the damage by matching a season-high with three double plays. Eight Texas A&M batters registered a hit including Helman (2-for-4) who also drove in one.
Aggie starter Kaylor Chafin (5-0) picked up the win, allowing six hits and a run alongside one walk and five strikeouts. The left-hander stranded the bases loaded in the first and kept the Dores at bay before turning it over to Nolan Hoffman who scattered three hits and struck out three in three innings of work for his 13th save.
The Commodores, who sit at No. 33 in the RPI, await their postseason fate with the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship bracket set to be unveiled next Monday at noon on ESPNU. Vandy is seeking its 13th-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.
