TALKING STICK, Ariz. – After a pair of impressive offensive outings to begin the season, top-ranked Vanderbilt could not solve TCU pitching, dropping the finale of the MLB4 Collegiate Baseball Tournament, 10-2 from Salt River Fields on Sunday afternoon.
The No. 19 Horned Frogs (2-1) pushed across five runs during the first two innings, spoiling Vanderbilt freshman Kumar Rocker’s (0-1) debut. The right-hander permitted five hits and as many runs while walking a pair and striking out one in 1.1 innings.
The Commodores (2-1), who produced a combined 29 runs during their opening two games, were limited to seven hits and stranded seven runners. Ethan Paul (2-for-4) provided an RBI-double in the second and Stephen Scott (1-for-3) lifted a looping RBI-single into left in the fifth inning.
TCU starter Brandon Williamson allowed four hits and held Vandy to one run while striking out seven in 3.2 innings. Reliever Jake Eissler (1-0) proved just as effective, holding the Commodores to three hits and one run in the final 5.1 innings.
The Horned Frogs combination of Austin Henry and Jake Guenther finished 4-for-9 with two runs and six RBIs. The top six batters in TCU’s order recorded at least one hit.
The Commodores return to Hawkins Field for the home opener on Wednesday against Evansville. First pitch is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. on the SEC Network Plus. Fans can also listen to the game via the VUCommodores app and locally on WNSR 560 AM/95.9 FM.
