Fayetteville, Ark. A slow start at Baum Stadium doomed Vanderbilt in a 7-1 loss to No. 18 Arkansas on Sunday afternoon.
Commodores’ (30-21, 13-13) starter Chandler Day’s first pitch of the afternoon was lined into left-center by Razorbacks’ leadoff hitter Jake Arledge. Day, however, battled back to get the next two batters despite Arledge working his way around to third. Arkansas’ Grant Koch started a trend for the Southeastern Conference’s leading home run hitting team, blasting a two-run shot out to left field to put the Dores in an early hole.
Julian Infante played long ball for the Commodores in the second inning, with a solo homer for his 11th of the season to cut the deficit in half. That run, however, was the only one for the Dores on the afternoon as the squad put two runners on in an inning just once in the game.
The Razorbacks added single runs in the fourth and fifth but went back to the long ball to put the game away in the sixth inning. Dominic Fletcher led off the inning against Maddux Conger with a home run off the right field foul pole and two batters later Chad Spanberger repeated the feat with a two-run shot off the same foul pole.
Day took the loss for the Commodores after giving up four runs, three earned, on five hits over four-plus innings. Infante and Will Toffey paced the offense with two hits apiece.
Arkansas starter Dominic Taccolini picked up the win with 4.2 innings of work. The senior allowed one run on three hits for his fourth win. Jake Reindl earned his seventh save with 4.1 scoreless innings out of the bullpen. Carson Shaddy led the Hogs at the plate with three hits.
Vanderbilt returns home for the final week of the regular season with four games at Hawkins Field. The Commodores host Middle Tennessee on Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m. before wrapping up the regular season with a three-game series against Alabama beginning Thursday night.
