NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Kevin Ziomek went five innings, allowing only two unearned runs, but the Commodores couldn’t hold their early 2-0 lead, dropping the first game of their series against the Oregon Ducks 4-2 in front of 2,058 fans on a chilly February afternoon.
Anthony Gomez got things started for the Commodores in the third inning, driving home Spencer Navin for the first run of the game. The hit extended Gomez’s streak this season as the only Commodore to have a hit in every game. Gomez scored later that inning on a wild pitch by Oregon’s Alex Keudell.
Ryon Healy scored a run in retaliation in the top of the fourth after reaching on an error by Gomez, and the Ducks tied the game at two in the top of the fifth as Andrew Mendenhall scored another unearned run off a sac fly by Aaron Jones. Healy scored the go-ahead run in the sixth to take the first lead of the game for Oregon.
Jones hit a two-out RBI-double to drive home pinch-hitter Connor Hoffman in the seventh for a two-run lead over the Dores. Keudell went seven innings on the bump for the Ducks, allowing only five hits, two runs, both earned, and striking out two. He improved to 1-1. Brian Miller took the loss for Vanderbilt allowing two runs on two hits in his 2.1 innings.
Vanderbilt and Oregon square-off again Saturday at 2 p.m. in the second game of the series, with Sam Selman set to take the ball for the Commodores.
