NASHVILLE, Tenn. – For the third time in as many home games, Vanderbilt baseball hit a walk-off homer as Jonathan Vastine led the Dores to a 9-8 win over Kentucky on Friday at Hawkins Field.
Vastine, a senior who will be recognized at Saturday’s game, hit the game-winning, two-run homer with one out in the bottom of the ninth after Kentucky scored three runs in the top half of the inning to take a late lead. Vastine homered twice in the game, both opposite field shots to left.
Kentucky, who led 5-0 after the first inning on Thursday, took a 2-0 lead on three hits in the top of the first on Friday.
Vandy answered right away in the home half of the first. Rustan Rigdon worked a leadoff walk and RJ Austin doubled to put runners on second and third. Riley Nelson plated Rigdon on a groundout, bringing Brodie Johnston to the plate.
Johnston gave Vandy a 3-2 lead with his 12th home run on the season, a two-run shot to left.
Braden Holcomb and Colin Barczi followed with back-to-back singles to put runners on the corners. Vastine then made it 4-2 with an RBI single to right, scoring Holcomb from third.
The Wildcats fought back in the top of the second with a pair of two-out runs to pull even at 4-4.
Austin put Vandy back in front on the bottom of the fourth with a two-out RBI single, plating Mike Mancini who reached on an error.
The Wildcats again responded with a run of their own in the top of the fifth to tie the game at 5-5.
Vastine reclaimed the lead for the Commodores with a solo blast to left field in the bottom of the sixth. Vastine’s eighth homer on the season put Vandy up 6-5.
Rigdon singled to lead off the bottom of the seventh and scored on a double by Nelson to put the Commodores up by two.
Kentucky used a pair of solo homers in the top of the ninth to tie the game and then took an 8-7 lead on an RBI double.
With one out in the bottom of the ninth, Barczi ripped a double off the wall in right, just narrowly missing the game-tying home run. The next batter, Vastine, ended the game with a two-run shot to left, giving Vanderbilt its third consecutive win at home via a walk-off home run.
Holcomb hit a three-run, walk-off homer on Thursday against Kentucky after also hitting a walk-off homer vs. Alabama on May 4. Before the past three home games, Vandy had not hit a walk-off home run against an SEC team since 2021.
With the win, Vanderbilt improves to 38-16 overall and 18-11 in SEC play. The Dores will go for the series sweep over Kentucky on Saturday at 2 p.m. in the regular-season finale.
