NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Vanderbilt beat Valparaiso, 3-2, on Tuesday night at Hawkins Field for an 11th consecutive home victory.
In a back-and-forth affair, the Commodores went ahead for good in the bottom of the seventh with a solo home run off the bat of Jonathan Vastine. Brennan Seiber closed things out in the ninth for this fourth save on the season.
The Dores received a strong outing from starting pitcher Ethan McElvain. The freshman allowed just one run on two hits over six innings while striking out five.
Tuesday’s scoring began with freshman Matt Ossenfort. In the bottom of the second, Ossenfort smashed a 403-foot home run to center field for his first collegiate hit, giving Vanderbilt a 1-0 lead.
First hit = 4️⃣ 0️⃣ 3️⃣ ft homer 👀 pic.twitter.com/bCxVv7VzSD
— Vanderbilt Baseball (@VandyBoys) March 26, 2024
The Beacons answered with a run on a groundout in the top of the third to even the score.
The score remained 1-1 until the sixth inning. RJ Austin tallied his second hit of the evening to lead off the frame. Davis Diaz reached on a fielder’s choice and Alan Espinal singled to load the bases. Troy LaNeve picked up his 25th RBI with a walk to give Vandy a 2-1 lead.
Once again, Valpo had an answer. The Beacons took advantage of an error to plate the tying run in the top of the seventh.
With one out in the bottom of the seventh, Vastine clubbed his fourth homer on the season to put the Dores in front for good.
It’s a goner for the caboose 🚂 pic.twitter.com/60ORkWQJAJ
— Vanderbilt Baseball (@VandyBoys) March 27, 2024
Miller Green turned in 1.2 scoreless innings and picked up his first collegiate win.
Vanderbilt moves to 20-6 on the season and will host Missouri for a three-game series at Hawkins Field beginning Thursday.
