Another Run-Rule Win at Home

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Vanderbilt run-ruled Belmont 13-2 in seven innings Tuesday night at Hawkins Field to improve to 16-5 on the season.

The Commodores tallied nine hits by eight different batters. Vandy hit three home runs, a grand slam by Mike Mancini and solo shots by Jacob Humphrey and David Mendez.

Humphrey scored three times and stole four bases to surpass 100 career stolen bases. The senior leads all active NCAA D1 players in career steals with 101. His four stolen bases on Tuesday were one short of matching the program single-game record.

Austin Nye threw 4.0 scoreless innings to earn his first collegiate win. Nye faced the minimum and didn’t allow a baserunner while striking out three.

Humphrey worked a leadoff walk in the bottom of the first. He stole second and third on consecutive pitches before coming home on a groundout by RJ Austin to give Vandy a 1-0 lead.

After a Braden Holcomb single with two outs in the second, Mac Rose lined a two-out double through the right side to bring Holcomb in to make it 2-0.

The Commodores broke the game wide open with an eight-run third inning. The Dores scored their eight runs on just three hits and took advantage of a pair of errors. After Humphrey reached on an error to lead off the frame, he once again stole second and third. Austin walked and a failed pickoff attempt sailed into right field allowing Humphrey to score.

Brodie Johnston singled and Riley Nelson walked to load the bases with Austin on third. Colin Barczi was hit by a pitch to score Austin. Johnston came home on a walk to Jonathan Vastine. Nelson scored on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Braden Holcomb and Rose worked another walk to once again load the bases.

Mancini then launched his first home run as a Commodore, a towering grand slam over the wall in left.

Vandy added a run in the bottom of the fourth on a single by Rose to plate Barczi and give the Dores an 11-0 lead.

The Bruins ended the shutout on a balk in the top of the fifth.

Vandy got the run back in the bottom of the fifth on a solo homer by Humphrey.

Mendez entered the game in the sixth and sent his first home run as a Commodore over the wall in left-center to put Vandy in front 13-1.

Belmont hit a solo homer in the top of the seventh but the Commodores would secure the run-rule win, 13-2.

Tuesday marked Vanderbilt’s sixth run-rule win, all coming at home. The Commodores are 12-0 at Hawkins Field this season and are averaging more than 10 runs a game while holding opponents to two runs per game.

Vanderbilt hosts Texas A&M for a three-game conference series beginning Thursday. Thursday’s game will start at 6 p.m. and air on SEC Network.