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Vanderbilt Defeats Ball State, 6-2 3/4/2005 Tony Mansolino Goes 4-4, including a Two-Run Home Run Nashville, Tenn. – Senior third baseman Tony Mansolino went 4-4, including a two-run home run in the third inning, to help lead #13 Vanderbilt to a 6-2 victory over Ball State today at Hawkins Field. The Commodores remain undefeated at 8-0, while Ball State is 4-2. Mansolino, who leads the team with a .481 batting average, extended his hitting streak to 13 games. Junior left-hander Ryan Mullins went 7.1 innings giving up two runs on eight hits with seven strikeouts and no walks in his second win of the season. Joe Ness picked up the loss for Ball State giving up six runs on 10 hits in 6.0 innings. He struck out one and walked one. Vanderbilt took a 3-0 lead after the first inning. Leadoff hitter Alex Feinberg singled up the middle and moved to second when Antoan Richardson drew a walk. Warner Jones hit into a double play moving Feinberg to third. Mike Baxter took a 2-1 pitch over the right field wall for his third home run of the season. It is the second consecutive game Baxter hit a home run. He hit two vs. Lipscomb Tuesday. Brian Hernandez singled and scored when Mansolino hit a double down the right field line. The Commodores scored three more runs in the third inning. Hernandez drove in Jones who reached on a fielder’s choice and stole second. Mansolino then hit his two-run home run over the left centerfield wall for a 6-0 lead. Only two Ball State batters reached base prior to the fifth inning. In the fifth, the Cardinals totaled four hits scoring two runs. Kyle Dygert led off the inning with a single and scored when CJ Webb doubled to left center field. Eric Earnhart then singled moving Webb to third. Chris Pestle hit a sacrifice fly to centerfield scoring Webb. With runners at first and second, Mullins forced Jason Bucholtz into a double play to end the inning. The Cardinals stranded a man at third in the sixth inning when Baxter scooped a shot down the first base line by Dygert and touched the bag for the final out of the inning. VU’s Michael Wagner entered the game in the eighth inning with one away and a Cardinal on first base and forced two pop ups to retire the side. Ryan Rote came in the ninth inning and walked the leadoff batter (Jon Byerly). Dygert struck out looking before Webb doubled to right field moving Byerly to third. Rote then struck out Earnhart and forced Pestle into a ground out to third base to end the game. Vanderbilt totaled 12 hits in the game led by Mansolino with four, Feinberg with two and Hernandez with two. Ball State numbered nine hits, led by Webb who went 3-4 at the plate hitting all doubles. The Commodores and Ball State play Game Two of the series at 2 pm Saturday at Hawkins Field. Junior right-hander Jensen Lewis (2-0, 0.71) is on the mound for the Commodores, while Ben Snyder (0-1, 6.97) takes the mound for the Cardinals. |
