PALO ALTO, Calif. – Vanderbilt dropped the team’s third straight game at third-ranked Stanford Sunday with an 18-5 loss.
The Commodores claimed the team’s first lead of the weekend in the second inning sending nine men to the plate and scoring four runs. Connor Harrell’s double ignited the rally with Riley Reynolds’ double scoring Harrell. Jack Lupo drove in a run with his first hit of the season in his first start. Tony Kemp followed with a run-scoring groundout and Anthony Gomez’s single capped the rally. The lead was short-lived, however, as the Cardinal responded with eight runs in the bottom of the second to claim the lead. For the third straight day the Dores defense failed with the team committing four errors in the second and five on the day. VU made 11 errors over the three games against Stanford. The Cardinal offense again exploded in the sixth inning scoring seven runs. Stephen Piscotty led the way for the Cardinal offense driving in seven runs, including a grand slam in the sixth. Anthony Gomez paced the VU offense with two hits and two RBI.
Stanford reliever John Hochstatter earned the win, tossing 6.1 no-hit innings. The southpaw fanned two and walked two in the win. Vanderbilt starter Sam Selman took the loss giving up 12 runs, six earned, on eight hits over five-plus innings.
Several Commodores made their Vanderbilt debut with freshmen Will Cooper, Connor Castellano and John Norwood joining D.J. Luna and Drew VerHagen on the field in the black and gold for the first time. Cooper picked up his first collegiate hit, legging out an infield single in the ninth before coming around to score on Gomez’s single up the middle.
Vanderbilt returns home in preparation for the team’s home opener Wednesday against Oakland. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Hawkins Field.
