OXFORD, Miss. – No. 9 Vanderbilt blanked No. 23 Ole Miss 13-0 in seven innings on Sunday as Connor Fennell recorded a complete-game shutout with a career-high 12 strikeouts.
Fennell allowed just three hits with one walk en route to Vandy’s sixth shutout on the season. The righty has registered double-digit strikeouts in back-to-back outings after tallying 11 punchouts last week against Georgia.
Fennell received more than enough run support as the Commodore offense scored 13 runs on 16 hits. Vandy scored multiple runs in five of seven innings and the entire batting order recorded at least one hit and scored at least one run.
Mac Rose and Jonathan Vastine each finished with three RBI. Riley Nelson and Colin Barczi recorded three hits apiece.
Vanderbilt jumped out to an early lead in the top of the first. After back-to-back two-out singles by Nelson and Brodie Johnston, Braden Holcomb worked a walk to load the bases for Rose. Rose shot a single past the second baseman into right field to score Nelson and Holcomb.
Vastine made it 3-0 with a 424-foot solo home run to right field in the top of the second.
The second inning continued with a walk to Mike Mancini and a single by Rustan Rigdon. Mancini went first to third on the hit and Rigdon took second on the throw. RJ Austin knocked a single through the left side to score both runners and increase Vandy’s early lead to 5-0.
In the top of the fifth, Holcomb worked another walk and Barczi drove him in with a double. Vastine singled through the right side to bring in Barczi and Mancini tripled down the right field line to score Vastine.
Vandy pushed three more runs across in the sixth. Nelson singled and Holcomb reached on an error. Rose picked up his third RBI with a single up the middle and Barczi drove in Holcomb with another single. Vastine made it 11-0 with a sac fly to plate Rose.
Austin reached on an error in the top of the seventh after Rigdon was hit by a pitch. Nelson laced a single into right field scoring Rigdon as Austin went first to third. Austin then scored on a sac fly by Johnston.
Fennell closed out the run-rule victory in the bottom of the seventh, recording his 11th and 12th strikeouts in the frame to reach a new career-high.
Vanderbilt improves to 31-13 on the season and 12-9 in the SEC. The Commodores host Indiana State on Tuesday at 6 p.m.
