Corbin Video | Reynolds Video | Swanson Video
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – No. 9 Vanderbilt fired on all cylinders Friday night at Hawkins Field in a 14-1 blowout victory over Illinois-Chicago.
The game started off the right way for the Flames (3-2) with Tyler Detmer belting a two-out solo homer to left field. That home run, however, would be the last UIC batter to reach base until the sixth inning. Vanderbilt (5-0) starter Tyler Beede settled down after the round tripper to sit down 15 straight Flames hitters. The junior rolled through the lineup, striking out 10 batters during his streak of 15 straight to match his career-best. The right-hander ended his night with his 11th strikeout to wrap up the sixth inning and set a new career-high. Beede’s 11 strikeouts are the most for a VU pitcher since Kevin Ziomek fanned 10 against Alabama last May.
While Beede settled into a groove on the mound, the Commodores’ hitters settled in at the plate. The Dores took the lead in the second with three runs and scored in all but two of their eight at-bats on the night. The team pounded out a season-best 19 hits to match last year’s season-best total. The team’s 19 hits came from 10 different Commodores with six Dores posting multi-hit games. Dansby Swanson, Bryan Reynolds and Chris Harvey led the way with three-hit games, a career-best for all three players.
Swanson took over the game in the fourth when he singled in a run, stole two bases and came around to score on Xavier Turner’s single. Reynolds hit his first collegiate home run and the Commodores’ first home run of the season in the eighth inning with a solo shot to the right-center field bleachers. The home run ignited a three-run rally that was capped off by Kyle Smith’s two-run double off the left field wall. Smith ended the night a perfect 2-for-2 off the bench.
Sophomore Rhett Wiseman made his 2014 debut going 2-for-5 with three runs scored and one RBI. Freshman Nolan Rogers posted a pair of singles and fellow freshman Karl Ellison made his collegiate debut smacking the first pitch he saw to center field for a single. Freshman lefty Ben Bowden also made his debut with two scoreless innings of relief.
Vanderbilt’s offensive outburst was aided by Illinois-Chicago’s six errors, including the Flames’ three errors in the second inning. UIC starter Tomas Michelson was pegged with the loss allowing nine runs, five earned, on 10 hits over 4.1 innings. Reliever Brian Evak gave up five runs, four earned, on nine hits over the final 3.2 innings.
The Commodores and Flames play tomorrow at 2 p.m. at Hawkins Field with lefty Jared Miller (1-0) starting for the Dores against right-hander Ian Lewandowski (1-0).
