Fast Start Fuels Vanderbilt Win

LOS ANGELES — Vanderbilt scored four runs in the first and never trailed at UCLA en route to an 8-3 win at Jackie Robinson Stadium.

The Commodores controlled the game from start to finish with the offense tallying nine hits while the pitching staff struck out 13 Bruins and limited the opposition to just three hits.

JD Thompson turned in an impressive outing, holding UCLA to just two runs over 5.0 innings to earn his first win on the season. The southpaw totaled eight strikeouts while limiting the Bruins to one hit.

The Dores wasted no time out the gate, striking in the first inning.

Vandy put a pair of runners on base with one out, bringing freshman Brodie Johnston to the plate. Johnston launched his first collegiate home run, a three-run blast to right-center, to give the Commodores a 3-0 lead in the first.

Home run No. 1 for @BrodieJohnsto6 💪

📺 B1G+ pic.twitter.com/jLDzayr7nq

— Vanderbilt Baseball (@VandyBoys) March 1, 2025

Mac Rose then hit one out to the same spot as the Dores went back-to-back to build a 4-0 lead.

UCLA loaded the bases in the bottom of the second with nobody out. The Bruins got on the board with a sac fly and scored a second run with a safety squeeze but the Dores were able to limit the damage and take a 4-2 lead into the third.

Vandy responded with a leadoff single by Riley Nelson to start the third inning. Johnston then laced a triple to the gap in left-center to score Nelson. After Rose was hit by a pitch, Colin Barczi singled to right field, scoring Johnston to push Vandy’s lead back to four at 6-2.

With two outs and runners on the corners, Jonathan Vastine roped a two-run double to left-center with Barczi scoring all the way from first to make it an 8-2 game.

UCLA added a run with a solo homer in the bottom of the eighth with Vanderbilt taking an 8-3 advantage into the final inning.

Alex Kranzler, who took over on the mound in the seventh after a scoreless sixth inning by Connor Fennell, finished off the Bruins in the ninth to earn his second save on the season.

The 4-5-6 hitters for Vandy – Nelson, Johnston and Rose – went a combined 4-for-11 with five RBI and six runs scored.

Rustan Rigdon went 1-for-4 with a walk and has reached base safely in each of Vanderbilt’s first 10 games to start the campaign. The last true freshman to do so was Enrique Bradfield Jr. in 2021.

Vandy’s 9-1 start to the season is the best start since 2021 when Vanderbilt started 13-1.

Vanderbilt continues the Southern California College Baseball Classic on Saturday, taking on USC at Great Park in Irvine, Calif. First pitch is set for 4 p.m. CT and will stream on B1G+.