FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – A three-run homer from Enrique Bradfield Jr. in the 10th inning powered the Vanderbilt baseball team to a 9-6 victory over No. 4 Arkansas on Friday evening at Baum-Walker Stadium. With the win, the Commodores improve to 33-15 on the season, including a 13-12 mark in Southeastern Conference play.
With the game tied at six apiece, Javier Vaz began the 10th with a four-pitch walk before Parker Noland doubled to left center to place runners on second and third with nobody out. The next two Vanderbilt batters failed to bring the go-ahead run across, bringing Bradfield up to the plate with two on and two outs.
The sophomore leadoff man fouled off the first two pitches of the at-bat before sending the 1-2 pitch down the right field line for a three-run shot to give the Commodores a 9-6 lead.
Thomas Schultz (4-1) retired the side in order in the ninth to preserve the lead and help the Dores claim the series opener. Schultz worked the final 3.0 innings, holding the Razorbacks hitless to pick up his fourth win on the season.
Vanderbilt jumped out to an early 5-0 lead across the first three innings before Arkansas began to battle back across the middle frames. The Razorbacks scored five unanswered to tie the game in the sixth before scored one apiece in the seventh to knot things at six apiece.
The two teams went scoreless across the next two frames to send the game to extras, marking the Commodores’ second consecutive extra-inning contest.
Vanderbilt plated four runs in the second inning to gain the early advantage. With one down, Vaz reached on a walk before stealing second to place himself in scoring position. One batter later, Noland fought off a two-strike pitch before connecting on a two-run homer to left field to give Vandy its first runs on the evening. The homer marked Noland’s sixth on the season.
The frame continued as Tate Kolwyck worked a walk before Carter Young singled through the right side to place runners on the corners. In the next at-bat, the Commodores executed a safety squeeze attempt as Bradfield laid down the bunt to allow Kolwyck to cross for the third run of the inning. Vandy scored one more on an RBI single from Davis Diaz to take a 4-0 lead.
The Commodores returned to the dish to add one more in the third. The frame began with a leadoff walk to Dominic Keegan before Vaz singled to place runners on first and third. Noland picked up his third RBI on the night with a sacrifice fly to left to score Keegan and make it a 5-0 contest.
Arkansas broke into the scoring column with one run in the fourth. The Razorbacks used a leadoff home run to right field to cross their first run of the night and cut the Vanderbilt lead to 5-1.
The Razorbacks continued to chip away with three more in the fifth before scratching across the tying run in the sixth. Arkansas used back-to-back home runs – a two-run shot and a solo homer – to make it a one-run ballgame.
With one down in the sixth, a throwing error by the Vanderbilt second baseman allowed a runner to reach before an errant throw on a failed pickoff attempt advanced the runner to third. One batter later, an RBI groundout crossed the tying run to knot the score at five apiece after six full.
The two teams traded runs in the seventh, as Vanderbilt plated one run in the top half. Jack Bulger launched a solo shot to left center for his fourth homer on the year to put the Commodores in front, 6-5.
The Razorbacks responded with a run of their own in the home half to tie things at six. A leadoff double followed by a pair of groundouts allowed one run to cross for Arkansas, resulting in a 6-6 ballgame after seven innings of action.
The two teams went scoreless across the next two frames before the Commodores scored three in the top of the 10th to set the score at 9-6, the eventual final.
The two teams will return to the diamond tomorrow evening for Game 2 of the series. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m., with action airing live on SEC Network+.
