Nashville, Tenn. – No. 8 Vanderbilt rolled over Georgia 10-3 Saturday afternoon at Hawkins Field to win Head Coach Tim Corbin’s 600th game at Vanderbilt.
The Commodores (33-10, 12-8) broke up a scoreless game in the second inning when a Bulldogs’ (22-22, 7-13) error started a three-run rally. Jason Delay reached on the throwing error by shortstop Nick King and was followed by Will Toffey’s first single of the day to put two on with one out. After a strikeout, freshman Connor Kaiser came through with the big hit sending a triple into the right field corner to make it 2-0 Vandy before scoring on a wild pitch for a three-run lead.
Vanderbilt piled on in the fourth with Toffey leading off the inning with a triple to left-center field and scoring on Tyler Campbell’s double. Ro Coleman’s chopper made it over the top of a drawn-in Georgia infield to score Campbell from third and push the VU lead to 6-1 after four innings. The Bulldogs, however, cut the lead in half in the seventh inning when Daniel Nichols doubled to lead off the inning and give the Dawgs their first extra-base hit of the weekend. Stephen Wrenn followed up with the team’s second extra-base hit, sneaking a home run just over the left field wall to make it 6-3. Vanderbilt starter Kyle Wright responded by striking out the next three Bulldogs to finish his day.
The Commodores put the game away with a four-run eighth inning with Nolan Rogers’ two-run double delivering the knockout blow. For the third straight game, the Vandy offense registered 10-plus hits, recording 11 on Saturday. The three-game streak of 10-plus hits for the team is the first since a four-game streak in early March.
Wright earned the win with seven solid innings. The right-hander allowed three runs on five hits with one walk and nine strikeouts. Wright retired 10 straight before Nichols’ double in the seventh. Matt Ruppenthal and Donny Everett each struck out the side in their respective innings of relief to close out the victory.
Toffey led the VU offense with his first three-hit game since March 11. The sophomore is 6-for-13 over his last four games. The bottom of the Commodores’ lineup – Toffey, Campbell and Kaiser – combined to go 6-for-8 with seven runs scored and three RBI in the win.
Corbin’s 600th win as the Commodores’ skipper improves his record in Black & Gold to 600-281 (.681) in his 14th season. He now sits 55 wins behind the school’s all-time winningest coach Roy Mewbourne.
Georgia starter Connor Jones took the loss allowing seven runs, four earned, on 10 hits over seven innings.
Vanderbilt wraps up the series with Georgia tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m. on SEC Network+. Freshman Patrick Raby gets the ball for the home team against the Bulldogs’ Heath Holder.
