ATHENS, Ga. – Top-ranked Vanderbilt rallied for three runs in the seventh inning to comeback and beat Georgia 4-2 Sunday afternoon at Foley Field to finish off the Commodores’ third series sweep and cap a perfect 5-0 week.
The Commodores (27-6, 10-2) took an early lead with a run in the fourth but the Bulldogs (18-15, 5-7) battled back to take the lead in the fifth inning. Vandy starter Jordan Sheffield cruised into the inning but lost control, walking three batters in the inning to load the bases. Daniel Nichols made the right-hander pay, ripping a two-run double to the wall in right-center field to put the Bulldogs on top. A relay of Rhett Wiseman and Dansby Swanson saved the Dores a run on the play with Karl Ellison applying the tag at home for the final out of the inning.
The Vanderbilt offense waited until the seventh inning to rally. Will Toffey greeted Georgia reliever Bo Tucker with a double into the right field corner to open the frame. Nolan Rogers came through with the next clutch hit of the inning, hitting a chopper over the first baseman’s head and into right field to score Toffey. Ro Coleman put the Commodores in front to stay with his two-run double, hugging the left field line to score Ellison and Rogers.
Georgia put the tying runs on base with no outs in the eighth inning against Kyle Wright, but Philip Pfeifer came to the rescue. The lefty used just five pitches to get a pop up and a groundout to end the threat and the inning. Back out for the ninth, Pfeifer issued a one-out walk but recorded the next two outs to finish off the sweep and earn his team-best fifth save.
Wright picked up the win with 2.1 scoreless innings out of the pen. Sheffield allowed two runs on three hits and a season-high six walks over five innings. Ellison led the offense with two hits as the Commodores walked a season-high nine times.
Tucker took the loss for the Bulldogs allowing three runs on four hits over 1.1 innings. Georgia starter Jared Walsh walked six and allowed one run on two hits. Trevor Kieboom had two of the team’s five hits.
Vanderbilt’s 5-0 week is the third of the season for the team and second since starting league play. The comeback win is the 10th of the year for the Dores with the team winning its fourth game of the season when trailing after six innings.
The Commodores return to Hawkins Field Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m. against Lipscomb.
