NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Vanderbilt starter Drake Fellows continued his Friday night dominance and the No. 7 Commodores generated just enough offensively, slipping past No. 12 Arkansas, 3-2 in the series opener at Hawkins Field.
Fellows (7-0) scattered seven hits and allowed just one run while lowering his ERA to 2.97. The right-hander struck out nine batters and helped the Commodores (26-8, 8-5 SEC) limit the Razorbacks (25-9, 8-5 SEC) to 2-for-8 (.250) with runners in scoring position.
Austin Martin (2-for-4) contributed a pair of extra-base hits including his team-best fourth triple to open the sixth. The sophomore came home one batter later, providing Vanderbilt a 3-1 cushion as JJ Bleday lifted a sacrifice fly into left.
The Razorbacks loaded the bases on a hit by pitch and pair of walks before running into Tyler Brown. The right-hander induced a run-scoring groundout and struck out Casey Opitz to strand two in scoring position. Brown locked up his seventh save, fanning three in 1.2 hitless frames.
Arkansas starter Isaiah Campbell (6-1) was saddled with his first loss of the season, allowing six hits and three runs while striking out nine without a walk. The righty ran into major trouble just once, permitting three-straight hits in the fourth. After Bleday lined a single into right, Ethan Paul and Philip Clarke connected on consecutive RBI-doubles, erasing Vandy’s one-run deficit.
Vanderbilt looks for its sixth series home win on Saturday with first pitch set for noon. The Commodores will send right-hander Kumar Rocker (2-4, 5.90 ERA) to the mound against righty Connor Noland (0-1, 4.59 ERA). The contest can be seen on the SEC Network Plus.
