NASHVILLE, Tenn. – No. 11 Vanderbilt dropped the series opener against Texas A&M 10-4 Friday night at Hawkins Field.
Everything unraveled for the Commodores (26-9, 6-7) in the second inning when the Aggies (21-14, 6-7) rallied for four runs to grab an early lead. The inning started when Hunter Melton reached base on a slow roller to Vince Conde at shortstop. A second single put runners on first and second with a sacrifice bunt attempt following from Logan Nottebrok. Xavier Turner fielded the bunt and threw to Dansby Swanson covering at first but the Dores’ second baseman missed the throw, allowing the first run of the game to score. Vandy starter Tyler Beede battled back to get a groundout and a strikeout for the first two outs and appeared to have limited the damage. But Krey Bratsen singled up the middle to drive in a run and Blake Allemand capped the rally when Nolan Rogers, making his first career start in left field, misplayed a fly ball into a triple.
The Commodores’ offense tried to claw back into the game beginning in the third inning when Rogers led off with a double and was followed by a John Norwood single. Ro Coleman’s safety squeeze bunt plated the first VU run of the night but Texas A&M starter Jason Jester quickly put the rally to rest, retiring the next two batters. Bryan Reynolds led off the fourth with a double and Vince Conde walked to put two runners aboard but the inning ended quickly with the next three Commodores going in order. The Dores finally chased Jester in the fifth after Turner sent a RBI-single through the left side with nobody out. The Aggies countered with right-hander Parker Ray, who immediately made a throwing error on a sacrifice bunt to allow the second run. But Ray turned it on from there, striking out the middle of the Vanderbilt lineup to end the inning.
Ray finished off the game for the Aggies, working five innings and striking out a career-best 10 batters. The right-hander allowed one run on two hits with no walks to earn his fourth win of the year. Beede was pinned with the loss for the Commodores allowing seven runs, four earned, on nine hits with four walks over five innings.
Reynolds led the way for the Dores with three hits, including two doubles. Turner and Norwood each added two hits with Turner pushing his hitting streak to 20 games.
Vanderbilt returns to action tomorrow at 2 p.m. with Jared Miller on the mound against Aggies’ right-hander Daniel Mengden.
