NASHVILLE, Tenn. – No. 7 Vanderbilt used an eight-run, two-out rally to beat Eastern Illinois 11-2 Tuesday night at Hawkins Field.
The Commodores (16-2) entered the bottom of the fifth inning trailing 1-0 after a Panthers (3-13) solo home run in the third. Vince Conde led off the frame with his second single of the game and after a walk to Nolan Rogers, Jason Delay moved the runners into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt. With two outs in the inning Dansby Swanson started the rally, battling EIU starter Chase Thurston to a full count before lining a two-run double into right-center field to put the Dores in front.
Bryan Reynolds kept the rally going with a single up the middle to score Swanson. A single from Zander Wiel and an intentional walk to Xavier Turner loaded the bases for Rhett Wiseman. The sophomore delivered with a two-run single of his own before Delay smacked a two-run single of his own through the left side of the infield to cap the rally. The eight run inning and six hits in the frame are both season-highs for the Dores.
Vandy tacked on two more runs in the sixth when Reynolds singled and scored on Wiel’s single up the middle. Turner drove in Wiel, who stole second and third, with a double into the left field corner.
Walker Buehler picked up the win with five-plus innings of work. The right-hander allowed two runs on five hits with no walks and seven strikeouts for his third victory of the season. The sophomore retired seven in a row before a home run snapped the streak to open the sixth inning. The VU bullpen continued its dominance with four scoreless innings to push their streak to 28.1 scoreless innings.
Thurston took the loss for the Panthers allowing four runs on four hits over 4.2 innings. Frankie Perrone led the way at the plate going 2-for-4 with a home run.
The Commodores return to action Friday night against No. 8 LSU in the SEC opener at Hawkins Field. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. with Tyler Beede facing off against Tigers’ ace Aaron Nola. Saturday’s game is scheduled for 2:15 p.m. on Fox SportsNet with the series finale slated for 1 p.m. on Sunday.
