Nashville, Tenn. – No. 25 Vanderbilt split a doubleheader on Sunday afternoon at Hawkins Field, dropping the first game 5-1 before rebounding to win 9-1 and clinch the series.
Freshman Drake Fellows gave up a leadoff single to start the second game of the day for the Commodores (11-6). A passed ball moved the Gaels’ (10-5) Joey Fiske over to second base before the leadoff hitter swiped third base and scored on Jason Delay’s errant throw. Fellows bounced back nicely, however, ending the inning with his second strikeout. The freshman yielded another single in the second inning with two outs but used his third punch out of the day to end the inning. That strikeout began a streak of 18 consecutive retired for Fellows that put him all the way into the eighth inning when an error on Connor Kaiser snapped the streak with two down. Fellows finished the frame one batter later to turn in a career-best eight innings. The freshman earned his team-best third win of the year, allowing only two hits and one unearned run with no walks and eight strikeouts.
While Fellows was cruising, the Vandy offense picked up the pace. After struggling through the first game of the day, the Dores scratched out three runs in the third inning to take the lead and never looked back. Will Toffey’s three-run, two-out triple in the fourth broke the game open and made it 6-1 Commodores. The three-run triple was part of a four-RBI game for the junior, who added a RBI-single in the Dores’ three-run third. Jeren Kendall scored three runs and reached base four times from the leadoff spot, singling twice.
Saint Mary’s starter Ty Madrigal took the loss after allowing six runs, three earned, on seven hits over four innings.
Vanderbilt starter Patrick Raby was stellar in the first game of the day, breezing through the Gaels’ lineup the first time around in order. But in the fourth inning a pair of singles started the frame before Raby could record a pair of strikeouts. A two-out single from Eddie Haus put the first run of the day on the board. With runners on first and third, the Gaels bluffed a steal attempt from Haus at first, the Commodores caught it, however, and had Brett Rasso in between third and home but a throwing error on Toffey allowed the run to score. Moments later a single from Kevin Milam made it 3-0.
The Dores avoided the shutout in the ninth when Ethan Paul led off with a double and eventually scored on a groundout. Raby was the tough-luck loser despite allowing five runs, three earned, on six hits and matching his career-high with 11 strikeouts over a new career-best 8.2 innings.
Jake Valdez earned the win for Saint Mary’s with seven scoreless innings. Milam had two hits and two RBIs in the win.
The Commodores return to action on Tuesday against Western Kentucky at Hawkins Field on SEC Network+ and open Southeastern Conference play on the road at Ole Miss beginning Friday.
