NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Top-ranked Vanderbilt failed to get on track Tuesday against Lipscomb in a 3-1 loss at Hawkins Field.
Lipscomb (19-11) starter Brady Puckett stifled the Commodores’ (27-2) offense into the eighth inning to earn his second win of the year. The tall right-hander kept the Dores off balance all night scattering four hits over the first seven innings and allowing only one base runner to reach third. Jason Delay led off the eighth with a double into the left field corner and Puckett’s night ended after Ro Coleman lined out to shortstop for the first out of the inning. Vanderbilt mounted a brief comeback attempt in the eighth with consecutive two-out singles from Dansby Swanson and Zander Wiel to drive in Delay. But Bryan Reynolds struck out to end the threat and the inning.
The game started auspiciously with VU starter John Kilichowski hitting Lipscomb leadoff hitter Michael Gigliotti with the first pitch. Kilichowski’s throwing error on a sacrifice bunt put two runners aboard with no outs. Former Commodore Josh Lee (2011) drove in the game’s first run with a sacrifice fly to center field. Lee struck again with a two-out, run-scoring triple in the sixth and capped his big return to Hawkins Field with a RBI-single in the eighth to drive in all three runs for the Bisons.
Wiel led the Dores with two hits and drove in the team’s lone run. Kilichowski took the loss despite a quality start. The lefty allowed two runs on five hits with no walks and seven strikeouts. Tyler Ferguson pitched the final two frames allowing one run on one hit with three strikeouts.
The Commodores welcome Ole Miss to Hawkins Field beginning Thursday night on ESPNU at 6:30 p.m.
