Nashville, Tenn. – No. 3 Vanderbilt finished off the team’s opening weekend sweep of San Diego in blowout fashion on Sunday afternoon at Hawkins Field with a 17-1 win.
The Commodores (3-0) wasted no time on Sunday jumping on the Toreros (0-3) for four runs in the first inning and 14 in the first three. VU rolled into the third inning already with a 6-0 lead before exploding for eight runs on six hits to put the game on ice. Karl Ellison started the carnage with a double to left field and was immediately chased home by Tyler Campbell’s triple into the right field corner. Ro Coleman followed with a RBI-single and scored on Jeren Kendall’s third homer of the weekend, this one an opposite field shot off the left field scoreboard. The Dores were not done there as three batters later freshman Alonzo Jones jumped in on the power party, blasting his first career home run into the right-center field seats for a three-run homer. Senior Kyle Smith made it back-to-back homers and three in the inning with a towering solo shot to left to cap the rally.
Vanderbilt’s offensive outburst included 17 hits with 10 different Commodores collecting at least one hit and scoring at least one run, led by Kendall and Jones who each had three hits in the win. For the weekend as a team the Dores hit .355 with six home runs and scored 38 runs. Kendall produced the biggest weekend of all going 10-for-15 with three home runs, 10 RBI, seven runs scored and five stolen bases. Smith hit a pair of homers of his own.
Sophomore Ryan Johnson picked up the win with four scoreless innings out of the pen. The lefty scattered a pair of hits while striking out three. He picked up an inning-ending double play to end his final inning in the sixth. Kyle Wright started for the Commodores and went two innings as planned. The sophomore pitched around two singles in the first inning to keep the Toreros off the board and struck out three in his two frames. Freshmen Matt McGarry and Maddux Conger each made their collegiate debuts with scoreless innings. Junior Hayden Stone made his return to the mound after missing the majority of last year due to elbow surgery. Stone allowed one run on two hits and a walk in the ninth.
Freshmen Connor Kaiser and Walker Grisanti each picked up their first career hits in the win. Kaiser dropped down a bunt for a single in the second inning before scoring and Grisanti belted a double to left field in his lone at-bat in the seventh inning.
San Diego starter Nick Sprengel took the loss allowing eight runs on five hits over two-plus innings.
Vanderbilt is set to host five games next week beginning with a Tuesday tilt against UT Martin at 4 p.m.
