NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Vanderbilt offense scored nine runs on a season-best 16 hits while posting the team’s first shutout of the year in a 9-0 win over Purdue Tuesday afternoon at Hawkins Field.
The Commodores scored a run in the first inning and never looked back scoring in five of the team’s eight at-bats. Jason Esposito started his big day in the first with a RBI-single, knocked in another run with a double in the third inning and capped his day with a two-run homer in the eighth. The home run was Esposito’s first of the year as he finished the game 3-for-4 with four RBI and two runs scored. Anthony Gomez pushed his hitting streak to 13 games going 4-for-5 with four singles. Aaron Westlake and Mike Yastrzemski each added two hits in the victory with Curt Casali driving in two runs with a double in the three-run third inning.
Vanderbilt starter Kevin Ziomek pitched five scoreless innings to earn his first collegiate win. The freshman scattered two hits and fanned three before turning it over to the bullpen. Freshman T.J. Pecoraro tossed 2.2 scoreless innings in his first relief outing of the year. Jack Armstrong made his season debut striking out the side around two walks and a hit batter in the ninth. Purdue starter Joe Haase took the loss for the Boilermakers giving up five runs on nine hits in 5.1 innings of work.
The Dores welcome Mississippi State to West End for a three-game series starting Friday for Opening Weekend of Southeastern Conference play. Game time for Friday is 6 p.m., Saturday 2 p.m. and Sunday 1 p.m.
