NASHVILLE, Tenn. – No. 19 Vanderbilt opened the series against No. 5 Georgia with a 3-1 win behind a stellar outing from starting pitcher JD Thompson on Thursday night at Hawkins Field.
Thompson allowed a leadoff homer in the top of the first before settling in and dominating the Bulldogs over eight innings. The southpaw registered a career-high 14 strikeouts and didn’t allow another run after the opening frame.
It’s the most strikeouts by a Commodore since March 25, 2022, when Patrick Reilly reached 14 against South Carolina.
Georgia took its 1-0 lead to the seventh before Brodie Johnston emphatically tied the game with a 421-foot blast to left field, his seventh on the season.
After Johnston’s solo shot led off the bottom of the seventh, Rustan Rigdon singled to center, chasing Georgia’s starting pitcher from the game. Rigdon then stole second and Braden Holcomb was hit by a pitch to bring Colin Barczi to the plate.
Barczi squared around to bunt but pulled his bat back at the last minute and slashed a grounder to a charging first baseman who was unable to handle the hit. Rigdon came all the way around from second to score on the play to give Vanderbilt a 2-1 lead.
The Commodores added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth. Johnston reached on a fielder’s choice and moved to second as Rigdon worked a walk. Holcomb hit a chopper up the middle which the shortstop fielded behind second base but Rigdon beat the play at second and Johnston never stopped running, coming in to score on the infield single.
Sawyer Hawks took over for Thompson in the top of the ninth and retired the side for his fifth save.
The Commodores improve to 28-10 on the season, 9-7 in SEC play and 20-3 at Hawkins Field.
Vanderbilt will meet Georgia again Friday for Game 2 at 6 p.m.
