OXFORD, Miss. — Drew Pomeranz and Justin Cryer combined on a six-hit shutout to lead Ole Miss to an 8-0 win in the second game of the doubleheader Saturday evening at Oxford-University Stadium at Swayze Field.
The Rebels (19-11, 6-5 SEC) took both games of the doubleheader to claim the regular season series for the first time since 2004. The Commodores (19-9, 5-5 SEC) dropped a conference doubleheader for the first time since losing at Alabama on April 22, 2006.
Pomeranz (2-1) held the Commodores in check for seven innings, allowing just five hits while striking out seven and walking two. Cryer came in with two men on and no outs in the eighth and got out of the situation to keep the shutout intact.
The shutout was the first since Georgia blanked Vanderbilt 7-0 on May 5, 2007.
Matt Smith homered for the second time in the twin-bill, this one a two-run shot to right, to give Ole Miss a 2-0 lead in the first.
Cody Overbeck’s sacrifice fly RBI in the third pushed the lead to 3-0. He hit a solo homer in the fifth to extend the lead to 4-0.
Tim Ferguson’s RBI double in the sixth pushed the lead to 5-0. The run closed the book on VU starter Caleb Cotham (4-2) who gave up five runs, four earned, on five hits in five innings of work with five strikeouts and three walks.
Ole Miss capped off the scoring with three runs in the bottom of the eighth to make it 8-0. Jordan Henry had a RBI double and Fuller Smith and Logan Power added RBI singles to account for the scoring in the frame.
The teams will close out the series tomorrow at 1:30 p.m.
Game 2:
Vanderbilt 000 000 000 -0 6 1
Ole Miss 201 011 03x -8 11 0
Cotham, Hill (5) and Robin. Pomeranz, Cryer (8) and Basham. W- Pomeranz 2-1. L- Cotahm 4-2 Sv: None. HR: Smith (8), Overbeck (8)
