June 4, 2011
Recap: Vanderbilt 10, Troy 2 | Tournament Central
The stakes were high, the ball was hard to handle in the stifling humidity and the Troy Trojans were more than willing to spring the upset on Saturday night, but for a school-record 13th time this season, Vanderbilt starter Grayson Garvin came away with a win for his team.
In 6.2 innings of work, Garvin scattered seven hits, walked just one Trojan batter and finished with seven strikeouts to pass former Commodore standouts Casey Weathers and Jeff Peeples for the most victories in a season in program history. His most recent outing was an exercise in determination on the mound not all that far removed from his 3-2 victory over Arkansas last Saturday at the Southeastern Conference Tournament: not without its flaws, but punctuated with that irrefutable capital “W” nonetheless.
“He has been so big in so many situations, this game included,” said Head Coach Tim Corbin of Garvin. “He came out and set a good tone. I like how he bounced back in the middle innings. He took a shot there when they scored the two runs, he was almost out of the inning in the fourth. But he was very resilient in the sixth when they got two runners on, and he got himself out of it. My hat’s off to the way Grayson has pitched all year and how he pitched tonight.”
Garvin was very cognizant of his teammates’ role all season in helping him reach the rarified air of the Vanderbilt record book, but that team mentality was on display more than ever tonight. The Commodore bats came alive as the lights came on over Hawkins Field to the tune of nine runs in the final five frames and back-to-back home runs in the ninth, and reliever Will Clinard shut the door after Garvin’s outing was through, allowing one baserunner over the final 2.1 innings.
“That’s absolutely a team goal because I can’t do anything I’ve done without the guys behind me, without Curtis (Casali), without the guys hitting,” Garvin said of his record. “I’ve had unbelievable run support, unbelievable defense, unbelievable catching all year. So I think more than anything, I just feel blessed for the coaches to have put me in this situation and for my teammates to have backed me the way they have this year.”
Clinard shut the door on Troy’s last threatening rally in the bottom of the seventh, ending the inning by forcing a weak groundout back to the mound with runners on the corners. After the game, the Trojans acknowledged that Garvin and Clinard were too good for Troy to rest easy with the 2-1 lead they were able to scratch out off of the SEC Pitcher of the Year in the fourth inning.
“I thought we did have some good at-bats, and in a couple critical situations where we could have extended that game, they made some very, very good pitches,” said Troy Head Coach Bobby Pierce. “So when that happens, hey, you just have to tip your cap. That’s part of the game.”
Tonight, the milestone fades into the background amid the glow of a spot for the Commodores in Sunday night’s Regional final. Although Garvin’s milestone is the first “team goal” of the 2011 season to hit the record books, the Commodores fully intend to keep it from being the last.