LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Vanderbilt scored four runs in the top of the 12th to defeat Louisville 12-8 in extras Tuesday night in the Battle of the Barrel at Jim Patterson Stadium.
Louisville held a 7-4 lead after five innings before Vanderbilt scored four unanswered runs, capped by a solo homer by Parker Noland in the top of the ninth, to take its first lead of the game at 8-7. Louisville evened the score in the bottom of the ninth to force extras.
Enrique Bradfield Jr. delivered the go-ahead knock in the top of the 12th with a bases-loaded, two-run single through the right side. Vandy pushed two more runs across in the frame and David Horn (W, 2-0) finished off the Cardinals to earn the win.
DORES TAKE THE LEAD IN THE 12TH‼️ 😤#VandyBoys | #AnchorDown pic.twitter.com/AoNOfbB6ET
— Vanderbilt Baseball (@VandyBoys) May 10, 2023
Vanderbilt and Louisville used a combined 21 pitchers in the contest. Horn tossed the final three innings and allowed just one hit with three strikeouts.
Davis Diaz went 2-for-5 at the plate with two walks and four runs driven in to lead the Vanderbilt offense.
Diaz dinger‼️#VandyBoys | #AnchorDown pic.twitter.com/GNIDiQNBaT
— Vanderbilt Baseball (@VandyBoys) May 9, 2023
The Cardinals put a pair on base with an error and a walk in the bottom of the second. Gavin Kilen then doubled to right-center to bring both runners home and put Louisville in front 2-0.
Vanderbilt pulled even in the next frame. Calvin Hewett was hit by a pitch and stole second. Davis Diaz then clubbed a two-out, two-run homer to tie the game. Diaz has eight home runs on the season.
Louisville wasted no time getting back the lead. The Cards got another two-run base knock, this time off the bat of Jack Payton, to go up 4-2.
The top of the fifth saw Vandy claw back with a pair of runs to pull even again. Calvin Hewett hit a leadoff double and Enrique Bradfield Jr. laid down a sac bunt. The charging Louisville third basemen fielded the bunt cleanly but the throw to first was errant and allowed Hewett to score and Bradfield to take second.
Another Louisville error on a pickoff attempt allowed Bradfield to move up to third. Bradfield then scored the game-tying run on a sac fly by RJ Schreck.
Louisville’s next punch came in the bottom of the fifth. The Cardinals scored three runs on three hits, highlighted by a Jack Payton two-run homer, to lead 7-4.
The Dores manufactured a run in the top of the seventh to cut Louisville’s lead back to two. Bradfield was hit by a pitch to lead things off and took second for his 124th career stolen base. After tagging to third on a flyout, Bradfield scored on a single up the middle by Jack Bulger.
The Commodores tied the game for the third time in the top of the eighth. Jonathan Vastine hit a leadoff single and Matthew Polk was hit by a pitch. Hewett laid down a sac bunt to move both runners into scoring position and with two outs, Diaz drove a single to right-center to score Vastine and Polk and even the score at 7-7.
Parker Noland gave Vanderbilt its first lead of the game with an opposite field solo shot to left to make it 8-7, Commodores.
It’s oppo taco Tuesday 🌮#VandyBoys | #AnchorDown pic.twitter.com/6C77vqPXKP
— Vanderbilt Baseball (@VandyBoys) May 10, 2023
Louisville responded with an RBI double in the bottom of the ninth to send the contest to extra innings.
Neither team was able to take advantage of multiple runners in scoring position until the Commodores finally broke through in the 12th.
Vastine led off with a single, Polk was hit by a pitch and Hewett reached on an error to load the bases for Bradfield. With the infield in, Bradfield singled through the right side to score Vastine and Polk. Schreck brought home Hewett on a groundout and Bradfield scored the Dores’ fourth run of the frame on a passed ball to put Vandy up 12-8.
No. 5 Vanderbilt (35-13) continues its seven-game road trip with a three-game series at No. 7 Florida this weekend in Gainesville, Florida.
