NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Vanderbilt cruised by Siena Tuesday night at Hawkins Field with a 12-2 win over the Saints.
Siena (1-14) put two runs on the board in the first inning thanks to a two-run Larry Balkwill home run but Commodores’ starter Keenan Kolinsky (1-0) settled down after that to earn his first collegiate win. The lefty eased through next five innings retiring 14 straight batters until the sixth when Kyle Baldani reached on an error. Kolinsky’s night came to an end in the seventh when he struck out the final batter he faced and gave way to the bullpen. He allowed two runs on five hits with no walks over 6.1 innings to win Vanderbilt’s (6-10) sixth game of the season.
The Dores’ offense did not waste anytime answering Siena’s two-run, first frame with three runs in the bottom half. Tony Kemp led off with a triple and scored on Anthony Gomez’s single through the left side. After a Mike Yastrzemski single put two runners aboard Conrad Gregor tied the game with a RBI-groundout. Connor Harrell put Vandy in front with a sacrifice fly and the home team never looked back scoring in four of the next seven innings. Kemp struck again in the fourth with his second triple of the night, this time driving in two runs. Another Gomez single scored Kemp to cap the squad’s second three-run rally of the game. A four-run seventh put the game away with Kemp and Gomez each contributing two-run singles.
Kemp and Gomez paced the VU offense from atop the lineup combining to go 8-for-10 with eight RBI and four runs score. Both players set career marks with four RBI and Gomez equaled his career-best with four hits. Kemp’s two triples pushed his season total to four and 11 in his career. Freshman John Norwood drove in his first run as a Commodore with a sacrifice fly in the eighth, scoring Chris Harvey who doubled to lead off the inning. Fellow freshman Adam Ravenelle worked one inning of spotless relief recording his first two collegiate strikeouts to finish the frame.
Siena starter Rick Morales (0-2) took the loss allowing six runs on five hits and four walks over three-plus innings. Balkwill and Ted Trymbiski led the Saints with two hits apiece.
The Commodores and Saints wrap up the two-game series tomorrow afternoon with first pitch slated for 4 p.m. Left-hander Jared Miller gets the ball for Vandy against Siena right-hander Jim Meindl.
