NASHVILLE, Tenn. – No. 8 Vanderbilt used some early offense and a strong start from Tyler Beede Friday night to top visiting Stanford 4-1 at Hawkins Field.
After the Commodores’ (8-2) first two losses of the season during the week starter Tyler Beede was looking to get his team back into the win column and turned in his longest outing of the season with seven strong innings to earn the win. The right-hander worked a 1-2-3 first inning but ran into trouble in the second when Cardinal (4-5) cleanup hitter Austin Slater singled to leadoff the inning. Beede added his first walk of the game to put two runners aboard for catcher Brant Whiting, who botched a sacrifice bunt attempt with a bunt back to Beede who fired to third for the first out of the inning. The right-hander snuffed out the threat when Dansby Swanson and Zander Wiel turned an inning-ending double play.
The Commodores answered in support of their starter in the bottom of the second when freshman Bryan Reynolds lined a double into the left-center field gap and reached third on an error to leadoff the frame. Vince Conde immediately capitalized on the opportunity with a sacrifice fly to put the Dores in front. Vandy added runs in the third on a Xavier Turner RBI-groundout and Chris Harvey hit-and-run single to center field that scored Nolan Rogers from first base. In the fifth, Swanson padded the lead once again with his first career home run off the light pole in left field to make it 4-1 Vanderbilt.
The Vanderbilt offense again put forth a team effort with eight different Commodores recording hits in the win. Swanson reached base three times and extended his team-best hitting streak to 10 games with the round tripper in the fifth. Slater paced Stanford with two of the team’s four hits.
Beede notched his third win of the season allowing one run on three hits with three walks and six strikeouts. The junior finished the game retiring 11 of the final 13 batters he faced. Carson Fulmer earned his third save of the season working the final two innings and striking out three. On Fulmer’s first batter he faced to open the eighth inning, home plate umpire Scott Erby was knocked out when an errant pitch struck him in the face. After several minutes down on the field, Erby left under his own power.
Stanford starter Brett Hanewich took the loss allowing four runs, three earned, on six hits over five innings. The Cardinal bullpen combined for three scoreless innings with right-hander A.J. Vanegas working a perfect eighth inning.
The Commodores and Cardinal resume their three-game series tomorrow at 2 p.m. at Hawkins Field. Junior Jared Miller gets the nod for the home team against Stanford freshman Chris Viall.
