HOOVER, Ala. — The Vanderbilt baseball team fell 9-1 to top-ranked Tennessee on Thursday at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium.
With the loss, the Commodores dropped to 36-20 and 1-1 at the SEC Tournament.
Vandy fell behind early in Thursday’s matchup as Tennessee struck first with one run in the first. The Volunteers built a sizeable advantage with five runs in the third before adding another run in the fourth to seize control. The Commodores scored one in the fifth but were unable to come any closer.
Vanderbilt starter Devin Futrell (8-3) suffered his third loss on the campaign. Futrell allowed four earned runs on five hits while lasting 2.1 innings. The freshman southpaw walked one batter and recorded one strikeout on the night.
Tennessee got on the board with one run in the first. The frame began with a hit-by-pitch before a walk placed runners on first and second. Two outs later, an RBI double crossed the game’s first run to give the Volunteers a 1-0 lead after one full.
The Volunteers scored six runs across the third and fourth innings to extend their lead to 7-0 through four innings of action. The Tennessee offense put up five runs on five hits in the third before scoring one in the fourth to build a seven-run advantage.
Vanderbilt broke into the scoring column with one run in the fifth. Carter Young registered his seventh home run on the season with a solo shot to right center to make it a 7-1 contest.
Tennessee answered back with a run of its own in the home half as a solo home run moved the score to 8-1. The Volunteers put up single tallies in both the seventh and eighth innings to set the score at 10-1, the eventual final.
The Commodores will return to the diamond Friday for their third game of the SEC Tournament. Vanderbilt is set to play the loser of the LSU-Kentucky matchup scheduled for 1 p.m. with action airing live on SEC Network.
