NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Alabama’s Del Howell struck out 10 in a complete game win over Vanderbilt, 7-3, in the first game of a doubleheader Saturday afternoon at Hawkins Field.
The Crimson Tide claimed the series with the win to move to 26-13 overall and 9-8 in Southeastern Conference play.
Vanderbilt dropped to 23-15 and 7-9 in league play with the loss.
Howell scattered six hits over nine innings and allowed three runs while striking out 10 with one walk to improve to 5-1 on the year.
The Crimson Tide took a 2-0 lead in the first when Taylor Dugas singled and scored on Kent Matthes’ 22nd homer of the year, a shot that cleared the wall in center, off of Caleb Cotham.
Andrew Giobbi led off the Commodores half with a solo homer to left-center to cut the lead to 2-1. It was his third homer of the year and second of the week.
Giobbi came through again in the second, hitting a RBI double off the left field wall to tie the game at 2-2.
Alabama took a 4-2 lead in the third scoring one run on a bases loaded walk to Brandon May and another on a sacrifice fly by Jake Smith.
The Crimson Tide added a run in the fourth on a RBI single by Dugas and two more in the fifth on back-to-back solo homers by Wes Henderson and Vin DiFazio to make it 7-2.
Cotham (5-4) gave up seven runs on nine hits in 4.1 innings with seven strikeouts and two walks. Sean Bierman pitched 4.2 innings of two-hit scoreless relief with four strikeouts and no walks.
VU scored a run in the sixth on a RBI double by Curt Casali. Steven Liddle led off with an infield single and then Casali lined a hit into the gap in right-center. The inning was short-circuited as Casali slipped rounding second and was tagged out removing a runner in scoring position.
Giobbi led VU with two hits and two RBI while Casali added two hits as well.
Game 1
Alabama 202 120 000 – 7 11 0
Vanderbilt 110 001 000 – 3 6 0
Howell and DiFazio. Cotham and Giobbi. W- Howell 5-1, L- Cotham 5-4. Sv- None. HR: UA: Matthes (22), Henderson (5), DiFazio (7) VU: Giobbi (3)
