NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Vanderbilt baseball team used a pair of strong offensive performances to claim two wins over Wagner in Friday’s doubleheader at Hawkins Field. With the victories, the Commodores improve to 12-2 on the season and claim the weekend series.
Vanderbilt earned a 12-7 win in the first matchup of the day before cruising to a 13-0 victory over the Seahawks in the second contest. With the wins, Vandy has swept its last five doubleheader matchups dating to 2021.
The Commodore offense combined for 25 runs across the two contests, outscoring Wagner 25-7 on the day.
The two teams will return to the diamond on Sunday afternoon for the series finale. First pitch is set for 1 p.m., with action airing live on SEC Network+.
Game 1
Vanderbilt jumped out to an early lead in Game 1, plating two runs in the bottom of the first. Davis Diaz began the scoring sequence, reaching on a hit-by-pitch with one out. In the next at-bat, Spencer Jones connected on a no-doubt homer to right-center to put the Commodores in front, 2-0.
Wagner answered back with three runs in the second to move ahead. The inning began with a leadoff walk followed by a single through the left side to place runners on first and second with nobody out. One batter later, an RBI single up the middle brought one across to give the Seahawks their first run of the day.
The frame continued with two more singles, resulting in two more runs for Wagner to make it a 3-2 contest.
The Commodores responded with two runs in the home half to regain the advantage. After Carter Young reached on a one-out triple, Tate Kolwyck delivered a two-run homer to right field – his third on the season – to put Vanderbilt back in front, 4-3.
The Seahawks scored four runs across the fourth and fifth frames, starting with another three-run inning in the fourth. Wagner placed runners on first and second to begin the inning thanks to a Vanderbilt fielding error and a single through the left side. One batter later, an RBI single to left field plated one to even the score at four apiece.
Wagner then took a 6-4 lead with a two-run double down the left field line.
The Seahawks scored one more in the fifth on a sacrifice fly to extend their lead to 7-4.
The Vanderbilt offense rallied for eight unanswered runs across the sixth, seventh and eighth innings to take control. The Commodores plated four in sixth to take an 8-7 advantage. Young led off the frame with a single down the right field line before advancing to second on a balk. Kolwyck picked up his third RBI on the day in the following at-bat with a single up the middle.
After Parker Noland kept things going with a single to center field, Enrique Bradfield Jr. reached on an infield single while a throwing error by the Wagner pitcher allowed one run to score. Jones brought across the third run of the inning on a sacrifice fly to center field, while Dominic Keegan capped the frame’s scoring with an RBI double to left center.
The Commodores used a two-out rally to scratch a run across in the seventh. Kolwyck picked up his third hit on the afternoon with a double down the right field line, before Noland sent an RBI single through the left side to push the Vandy lead to 9-7.
The Dores added insurance with three runs in the eighth, as Keegan delivered a three-run shot to left field to set the score at 12-7, the eventual final.
Patrick Reilly (2-0) collected the win, working 4.1 innings in relief. Reilly surrendered one earned run on three hits, while striking out five batters.
Game 2
The Commodore offense carried its momentum into Game 2, scoring eight runs across the first three innings to seize control.
Vanderbilt began the game with a six-run first inning. The Commodores batted around, while recording four hits and three walks in the frame. Gavin Casas and Carter Young each collected RBI singles, while Tate Kolwyck brought one run across on a sacrifice fly.
Vandy added single tallies in the second and third innings to extend its lead to 8-0. Davis Diaz reached on a leadoff single in the second before coming across to score on a double play ball, while LaNeve scored the Commodores’ lone run in the third after reaching on a one-out single to right field.
Vanderbilt padded its lead with five runs across the sixth, seventh and eighth innings. Matthew Polk reached on a one-out walk single in the sixth before coming across to score on a RBI double by Casas.
The Commodores plated two in the seventh, as Troy LaNeve connected on his first homer of the season with a two-run shot to extend the lead to 11-0.
Vanderbilt posted another two-run frame in the eighth to set the score at 13-0, the eventual final.
Carter Holton turned in another spectacular outing for the Commodores in Game 2. The freshman southpaw worked 6.0 scoreless innings, allowing one hit while striking out a career-high 13 batters.
Holton was perfect through his first 4.1 innings of work before issuing a walk in the top of the fifth. The Savannah, Georgia, native held the Seahawks hitless through 5.2 frames.
The Commodores used a trio of arms out of the bullpen to earn the team’s third shutout on the season, with each reliever working 1.0 inning apiece. Bryce Cunningham worked a hitless frame, striking out one batter in the seventh.
Sophomore Brett Hansen made his collegiate debut, recording one strikeout in the eighth while also surrendering a hit. Jack Anderson covered the ninth inning with a 1-2-3 frame, while striking out two batters.
