Columbia, S.C. – No. 2 Vanderbilt rolled by No. 15 South Carolina 5-2 on Saturday afternoon to clinch the team’s 12th series victory of the season and the Southeastern Conference East division.
For the second straight day the second inning proved profitable for the Commodores (41-6, 21-2). Zander Wiel reached base to lead off the inning and Vince Conde followed with a single. After Spencer Navin moved the runners to second and third with a sacrifice bunt, Jack Lupo made it pay off with a two-run single to get the Dores on the board. Xavier Turner made it 3-0 on a fielder’s choice to third base to cap the rally. Wiel added to the lead in the third with his first of three singles on the day driving in Connor Harrell.
Tyler Beede took an early lead and ran with it, as the right-hander dominated the Gamecocks’ (33-14, 13-10) lineup. Beede rolled through the first four innings without allowing a base runner. LB Dantzler and Max Schrock each worked walks off Beede to open the fifth but the sophomore responded to get out of the jam getting a pair of pop ups and a strikeout to end the threat.
For the second time this season Beede carried a no hitter into the seventh inning. Dantzler broke up the no-hit bid with a single up the middle and one batter later Schrock ended the shutout with a RBI-single through the right side of the infield. Beede’s day came to a close after a strikeout of Grayson Greiner for the first out of the seventh. Carson Fulmer entered and got the Commodores back into the dugout with a three-run lead. Fulmer worked the final two innings to notch his fourth save of the season.
The Dores’ offense outhit South Carolina 14-3 on the day with Mike Yastrzemski, Vince Conde and Wiel all recording three-hit games. Wiel drove in two runs and Tony Kemp added two hits from the top of the lineup. Vanderbilt’s 14 hits are the most against a SEC opponent since the Dores matched a season-best with 19 hits in the second game of a doubleheader at Georgia.
The victory clinched the SEC East division for the Commodores with seven games left in league play.
Game time for tomorrow’s season finale has been moved up to 11 a.m. CT due to the threat of rain. The game will still be broadcast on CSS. T.J. Pecoraro (2-1) gets the ball with the Commodores going for the club’s eighth series sweep of the year tomorrow. South Carolina is yet to name a starter for the final game of the series.
