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Baylor Defeats Vanderbilt, 4-1 3/13/2005 Bears Score Three Runs in Top of Ninth to Break 1-1 Tie NASHVILLE — Vanderbilt allowed three unearned runs in the top of the ninth Sunday and fell 4-1 to Baylor at Charles Hawkins Field. The Commodores matched their season-low with six hits and failed to score more than one run for the first time since April 10, 2004 (at Alabama). The defeat left them winless in the three-game series and are now 12-3 for the season. Baylor improved to 11-7. Most of the contest featured the pitching of Vanderbilt’s Matt Buschmann and Baylor’s Mark McCormick. Buschmann allowed five hits in 8.2 innings but allowed the go-ahead run to score in the top of the ninth with a two-out walk to Baylor’s Chase Gerdes. The Bears had loaded the bases when Reid Brees singled with one out, and Seth Fortenberry walked and Paul Witt reached on an error with two outs. Michael Wagner replaced Buschmann and allowed a two-run single before he recorded the final out on a ground ball to second. It was the first loss in more than a full calendar year for Buschmann, a junior right-hander. His last defeat was in relief during the Commodores’ 10-9 loss to Western Kentucky on March 3, 2004. Since then he had gone 9-0. McCormick pitched seven full innings, allowed four hits and one run, struck out four and walked two. During one stretch he retired 12 out of 14 batters. Ryan LaMotta pitched the final two innings and got the win. Vanderbilt scored its run in the bottom of the first when freshman Alex Feinberg led off with a single and took second when the ball was misplayed in the outfield. He scored on Mike Baxter’s two-out double. Baylor tied the score in the top of the second when designated hitter Josh Ford was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. He went to third on a double and scored on a groundout by third baseman Kevin Russo. Vanderbilt’s next game is 4 p.m. Wednesday against Murray State. The Commodores open Southeastern Conference play Friday with the first of a three-game series at Mississippi State. Third baseman Tony Mansolino became the seventh player in VU history with 700 career at-bats. He went 1-for-4 and remained the only Commodores’ player to reach base in every game this season. |
