NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Vanderbilt beat Indiana State 5-2 on Tuesday evening at Hawkins Field.
Austin Nye turned in another good outing on the mound. The freshman tossed five shutout innings, allowing just three hits to the Sycamores while totaling six strikeouts. On the season, Nye owns a 1.83 ERA over 11 starts with 39.1 innings of work.
At the plate, Mac Rose provided an early spark with a two-run blast in the bottom of the second. Braden Holcomb reached base on a one-out single before Rose went opposite field to give Vandy a 2-0 lead.
Mike Mancini worked a walk in the bottom of the third and stole second before taking third on a wild pitch. Rustan Rigdon scored Mancini with a groundout to make it 3-0.
Indiana State puts runs on the board in the top of the sixth and seventh innings, but the Dores responded with a run of their own in both frames.
Up 3-1 in the bottom of the sixth, Riley Nelson singled with one out and advanced to second on a balk Brodie Johnston ripped a single into center field, scoring Nelson from second, pushing Vandy’s lead back to three.
After the Sycamores trimmed the Vandy lead back to two in the top of the seventh, Jonathan Vastine answered with a leadoff double to left-center in the home half. Mancini laid down a bunt but the Indiana State pitcher threw the ball past first base and Vastine came home to make it a 5-2 game.
Ethan McElvain retired the side in the top of the eighth and Alex Kranzler picked up his third save, working around one hit in the ninth to close things out.
Vanderbilt improves to 32-13 on the season and 23-4 at Hawkins Field. The Commodores host Alabama for three games beginning Friday.
