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NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Vanderbilt baseball team swept a doubleheader from Ohio University Sunday, capping a three-game sweep that saw the Commodore pitching staff combine to allow just one earned run in 26 innings pitched.
Sophomore right-hander Nick Christiani surrendered just six hits and an unearned run in an eight-inning complete game 11-1 Vanderbilt win that ended after VU pushed its lead to ten in the eighth. He struck out six and walked only one.
In the nightcap, junior All-American David Price was arguably even sharper in a 5-1 Commodore victory. After allowing a leadoff double to Ohio right fielder J.T. Osburn, who eventually came around to score on a groundout, and a leadoff single to Ohio left fielder Jared Willis in the second, Price proceeded to retire the next 16 batters in a row, 11 of those by strikeout.
He was lifted with one out in the seventh after surrendering a one-out double to designated hitter Jon Vondrell. Overall, Price allowed a run on three hits while striking out 12 and walking none.
“Our starting pitching was pretty good all weekend,” said Vanderbilt head coach Tim Corbin. “I was glad to see Nick [Christiani] looking good. Especially after the fourth inning, I thought he pitched well. And David Price, after the second inning, I thought he pitched well.”
Price had been slated to start the opener of the three-game set at Hawkins Field Friday, but was pushed back a couple of days when he was felled by the flu. He showed no lingering affects Sunday.
“He looked good to me,” Corbin said.
Junior Ty Davis, made is first appearance of the year and allowed a walk in two-thirds of an inning of relief. Senior Stephen Shao pitched an incident free eighth and Vanderbilt’s senior closer Casey Weathers struck out the side in the ninth.
Sophomore All-American Pedro Alvarez launched two homeruns and collected four RBI’s to lead Vanderbilt’s offensive onslaught in the first game of the twin bill, prompted by the cancellation of Saturday’s game due to snow.
Alvarez followed a sixth inning RBI double by second baseman Alex Fineberg with a two-run shot to right field that extended Vanderbilt’s lead to 8-1, essentially putting the game out of reach.
He hit another two-run shot in the eighth to score pinch hitter Brian Harris and give Vanderbilt a 11-1 lead, invoking the 10-run mercy rule and ending the game. Alvarez had three hits on the game.
Shortstop Ryan Flaherty got Vanderbilt on the board in the third inning of game one with a two-out, two-run double that followed walks to centerfielder David Macias and Alvarez and which gave the Commodores and 2-1 lead they would never relinquish.
Every Vanderbilt starter except for junior first baseman Brad French had at least one hit in the opener, with junior catcher Shea Robin three hits, including a double.
In the second game, Vanderbilt again faced a 1-0 deficit after half an inning but knotted the score in the fourth when Flaherty singled home Alvarez who had singled. French broke open the game in the sixth with a two-out two-run double that plated Robin, who had singled, and junior right fielder Dominic de la Osa, who had walked.
Vanderbilt tacked on two more runs in the seventh on an infield RBI single by junior second baseman Alex Fineberg and an RBI single by de la Osa.
Alvarez again led the Vanderbilt’s offensive attack in the second game with two hits and two runs scored.
Vanderbilt returns to action Wednesday as they host Lipscomb at 4 p.m. CT at Hawkins Field.
