NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Vanderbilt scored 15 runs on 13 hits to defeat Missouri 15-2 in the SEC opener on Friday night at Hawkins Field.
Chris McElvain (3-0) got the start on the mound and struck out the side in the top of the first. McElvain struck out the first four batters he faced and totaled eight over 6.0 innings of work, as the junior right-hander registered his second quality start on the season.
McElvain received run support early and often from the Vanderbilt bats.
Enrique Bradfield Jr. sent the first pitch he saw over the wall in center field to spark a four-run first inning. It was Bradfield’s 100th career hit and second consecutive game with a home run.
Spencer Jones reached on a fielder’s choice and took second on a passed ball before scoring on a single by Gavin Casas. Jack Bulger and Javier Vaz drew back-to-back walks to load the bases for Tate Kolwyck who drove in a pair with a two-out double to give Vanderbilt a 4-0 lead in the first.
Vandy tacked on three runs in the bottom of the third after back-to-back singles from Jones and Dominic Keegan. Jones scored from third on a fielder’s choice to make it 5-0. Bulger drew a walk to load the bases before Javier Vaz made it 6-0 with a sacrifice fly.
Carter Young then doubled with two down to drive in Casas and give the Dores a 7-0 lead.
Missouri broke up McElvain’s no-hit bid with a solo home run in the top of the fourth, but Vanderbilt responded with two more runs in the home half of the inning.
Keegan doubled in a run and Casas brought in another with a sac fly. Vandy led 9-1 through four and extended its lead to 11-1 with two more runs in the fifth.
Young led off the bottom of the fifth with a double and Bradfield tripled down the line in right to bring Young home. Bradfield scored on a sac fly from Davis Diaz.
Missouri doubled its runs with a second solo homer in the top of the sixth. McElvain held the Tigers to two runs on two hits, both long balls.
Bryce Cunningham came on in relief and struck out two Tigers in the seventh.
Vanderbilt kept the offense rolling with three more runs in the bottom of the seventh. Bradfield hit an RBI single and later scored on a sac fly off the bat of Keegan. Casas drove in his fourth run of the game with another sac fly to put Vandy on top 14-2.
Cunningham struck out two more in the eighth to finish with four strikeouts in two innings of relief.
Bradfield drove in his fourth run of the game with his fourth hit — a single up the middle in the bottom of the eighth to score Troy LaNeve.
Brett Hansen took the mound in the top of the ninth and finished off the Tigers for a final score of 15-2.
Bradfield finished the game 4-for-6 with four RBI and three runs, missing just a double for the cycle. Young also tallied four hits. Keegan and Kolwyck had two RBI each.
The Commodores and Tigers will play Game 2 of the series Saturday at 2 p.m. CT with action airing on SEC Network+.
