NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Top-ranked Vanderbilt cruised by No. 21 Alabama Friday night at Hawkins Field behind 15 hits and a gutsy outing from starter Sonny Gray.
The Commodores clung to a 4-2 lead in the fourth inning when the Tide loaded the bases with no outs against Gray. The junior battled back striking out the next two batters before a weak grounder to second base ended the threat. The Vanderbilt offense responded scoring three runs in the fifth and four more in the sixth to put the game away.
VU jumped out to an early lead with two runs in the second inning with Curt Casali’s RBI-double and Riley Reynolds’ RBI-groundout. After Alabama tied the game in the third Vandy plated two more runs in the bottom of the inning and never trailed again. Anthony Gomez paced the Dores’ 15-hit attack with three hits extending his hitting streak to 26 games with a first-inning single. Casali knocked in three runs going 2-for-4. Mike Yastrzemski and Aaron Westlake each had two hits and two RBI in the win. Jared Reaves led the Tide with two hits.
Gray earned his seventh win of the year pitching six innings and allowing two unearned runs on four hits with four strikeouts. Alabama starter Nathan Kilkrease was pinned with the loss giving up six runs, five earned, on seven hits over four-plus innings.
Vanderbilt hosts Alabama tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m. at Hawkins Field. The Commodores send lefty Grayson Garvin to the hill to face fellow southpaw Adam Morgan.
