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#22 Vanderbilt Drops Series Opener to #11 Ole Miss, 5-4 3/19/2004
#22 Vanderbilt Drops Series Opener to #11 Ole Miss, 5-4 3-19-04 OXFORD, Miss. — The Vanderbilt Commodores lost its SEC opener, 5-4, Friday when Commodore reliever Ryan Rote gave up a walk-off homerun in the bottom of the ninth inning. The first home run of the season by Ole Miss’ Barry Gunther ended the game, which Vanderbilt led twice, including 4-3 following a sixth inning rally. Vanderbilt is now 14-3, 1-0, while Ole Miss owns a 16-1, 1-0 mark. The Rebels tied the game at 4-4 in the eighth inning when Brian Pettway scored on a Alex Presley double that hit the right field wall off Rote who entered the game in the eighth inning in relief of starter Jeremy Sowers. Down 3-1, the Commodores scored three runs in the top of the sixth to take a 4-3 lead in the game. Warner Jones singled to left field extending his hitting streak to 24 consecutive games. He advanced to third when designated hitter Mike Baxter hit a double that hugged the third base line. Jones cut the Rebel lead to one, 3-2 when Tony Mansolino grounded out to the shortstop. Worth Scott hit his second homerun of the season — a 383-foot shot over the right-field fence — to give Vanderbilt a 4-3 lead. Antoan Richardson scored in the first inning for the Commodores ending Ole Miss’s scoreless inning streak at 39 innings. Richardson reached base on a single; advanced to third on an error by the third baseman and scored when Cesar Nicolas grounded out to the shortstop. Sowers pitched 7.0 innings for the Commodores giving up three runs (all earned) on nine hits and striking out four while walking no one in the no decision. Rote went 1.1 innings giving up two runs (both earned) on three hits for his first loss of the season. “He (Rote) threw a fast ball in the middle of the plate and Gunther (Barry) took a good swing,” Vanderbilt head coach Tim Corbin said. “That’s the way games are decided in the SEC.” The series resumes tomorrow (Saturday) at 1:30 pm with the final game of the series scheduled for 1:30 pm Sunday. VU at Ole Miss Game Notes |
