NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Vanderbilt baseball team paired solid pitching with timely offense to claim a 7-0 shutout victory over in-state foe Austin Peay on Tuesday evening at Hawkins Field. With the win, the Commodores notch their 25th consecutive midweek victory and improve to 29-6 on the season.
Starter Thomas Schultz (4-2) provided the Commodores with a strong outing, notching his second consecutive quality start. The sophomore right-hander worked 6.0 scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and three walks, while picking up four strikeouts to notch his fourth win of the season.
The freshman trio of Donye Evans, Nelson Berkwich and Hunter Owen covered the final three frames, working one inning apiece, to help Vanderbilt secure its sixth shutout of the season and second across the last four games.
Vanderbilt jumped out to an early lead with three runs in the very first frame. Carter Young began things with a one-out double off the right field wall before Dominic Keegan sent a single up the middle to place runners on the corners.
After Jack Bulger drew a walk to load the bases, Parker Noland cashed in with a two-run double to bring across the game’s first runs. Isaiah Thomas scored one more on a RBI groundout to put the Commodores ahead, 3-0, after one inning of action.
Vanderbilt added one in the third to extend its lead. Jack Bulger kicked off the scoring sequence with a one-out double to right center, before advancing to third on his second stolen base of the season. One batter later, Noland picked up his third RBI of the night with a groundout to second to make it a 4-0 contest.
The Commodores put up a three-spot in the sixth to put things out of reach. Spencer Jones drew a leadoff walk before Jayson Gonzalez lined a double to place runners on second and third.
After Enrique Bradfield Jr. drew a walk to load the bases, a wild pitch brought across one run while advancing the other two runs 90 feet. Two more runs came across to score on a RBI groundout and an Austin Peay fielding error to set the score at 7-0, the eventual final.
Vanderbilt returns to action this weekend, welcoming fourth-ranked Mississippi State to town for another top-five matchup. The two teams will open the series on Friday evening at 7 p.m., with action airing live on SEC Network.
