May 21, 2010
Vanderbilt 4, Arkansas 3
Attendance: 2192
Game Notes
Team Notes
– With the win on Friday, Vanderbilt has now won the last seven games against Arkansas dating back to the 2007 SEC Championship game. In the last seven meetings between the two schools, VU has outscored Arkansas 56-21. VU is 12-11 against the Razorbacks under Tim Corbin
– Vanderbilt won its 40th game of the season Friday, marking the fourth time the Commodores have won at least 40 games in a season in school history with all of them coming under Corbin (2004- 45-19; 2007- 54-13; 2008- 41-22)
– With the 4-3 victory on Thursday, Vanderbilt has now won its last seven games, including its last six in Southeastern Conference play, dating back to May 8. VU is averaging 9.29 runs per game during the winning streak
– Vanderbilt has had three winning streaks of at least 7 consecutive wins in three different times this year. The Commodores won 10 straight from Feb. 27-Mar. 14; 8 straight from Mar. 21 – Mar. 31 and now 7 straight from May 8 – present
– Vanderbilt improved to 24-6 when scoring first
– Vanderbilt is now 9-5 against teams ranked in the top-25
– Vanderbilt improved to 34-0 on the year when leading after 8 innings
– Vanderbilt is now 12-5 this season in one-run games
– Vanderbilt’s 16 conference wins ties for the second most in the Corbin era. VU won 16 in 2004 and 2006 and than school record 22 in 2007
– Vanderbilt’s 3-5 hitters combined for 6 of the teams 11 hits and scored all four of the team’s runs. Esposito, Westlake and Casali also tallied three of the teams four RBI
Individual Notes
– Aaron Westlake’s first-inning two-run home run was his ninth of the season and second in his last four games. Westlake’s 9 home runs are tied with Jason Esposito for the team lead
– Bryan Johns recorded his 13th multi-hit game of the year with a 2-for-3 effort on Thursday
– Esposito finished the game 3-for-4 giving him his sixth three-hit game of the season and team-leading 23rd multi-hit game of the year. Esposito also stole his team-leading 28th stolen base of year. Esposito’s 28 stolen bases ranks second in the Southeastern Conference
– Sonny Gray won his second straight start after allowing three runs on seven hits with nine strikeouts and three walks over eight innings of work for his eighth win of the year.
– Connor Harrell’s three hits Friday was one short of his career high
– Brian Harris was hit for the 32nd time this year on Friday. Harris has led the entire NCAA in this category the majority of the season
– With Jason Esposito’s double in the bottom of the first he extended his streak of reaching base to 16 consecutive times. Two innings later, Esposito singled to shortstop to reach base for the 17th straight time. The streak ended at 17 when Esposito struck out in the fifth
More on Esposito streak
– Against Mississippi State, Esposito broke a 27-year old school record having reached base safely 15 consecutive times. The previous mark was 14 set by Tim Brecht in 1983
– The NCAA record for consecutive times reaching base safely is 18, held by Shaun Larkin of Cal St. Northridge. Larkin accomplished the feat Feb. 8-12 during the 2002 season
The streak went as follows
Friday vs. Mississippi St.: Single, Double, Walk
Saturday vs. Mississippi St.: Double, Walk, Single, Single, Single, Double
Sunday vs. Mississippi St.: Walk, Walk, Walk, Walk, Double, Walk
Thursday vs. Arkansas: Double, Single, Strikeout (streak ends at 17), single