STARKVILLE, Miss. – Vanderbilt limited Mississippi State’s offense in crucial situations and broke open a one-run game, scoring seven times in the eighth as part of a 10-1 series-clinching victory on Saturday afternoon at Dudy Noble Field.
The No. 13 Commodores (14-5, 2-0 SEC) batted .583 (7-for-12) with runners in scoring position and sent 11 batters to the plate while collecting seven hits and as many runs in the eighth. Vandy plated four runs on four hits with two outs in the frame and batted .417 (5-for-12) with two down on the afternoon.
Vanderbilt pitching limited No. 19 Mississippi State (10-9, 0-2 SEC) to 1-for-21 (.048) with runners on base. The Dores scored a single run in the first and led the whole way, stranding MSU runners in all nine innings including leaving the bases loaded in the fourth.
Julian Infante started the scoring in the eighth, sending a sinking single to the wall, to score Ethan Paul (single) from second. Two batters later, Austin Martin lined a 2-1 pitch through the left side, upping the lead to 4-0. With two down, JJ Bleday and Jayson Gonzalez each registered RBI-singles while Philip Clarke and Paul doubled to score a pair. Nine different Commodores logged a hit while eight RBIs came from seven different players.
DeMarco drove in two with a single up the middle in the ninth to make it 10-0, marking the first time since April 22, 2017, at Georgia that Vanderbilt scored double-digit runs on the road in SEC play.
Martin paced Vanderbilt with a 3-for-5 performance at the plate while scoring a team-best two runs alongside an RBI. DeMarco led the Dores with a pair of RBIs while scoring a run and finishing 2-for-5. Bleday, Paul and Infante all logged two hits and one run.
Tanner Allen led the way for the Bulldogs, finishing 2-for-4 with an RBI and run. The designated hitter snapped Vandy’s scoreless-inning streak to begin league play at 17.1 with a one-out, solo home run in the ninth.
Patrick Raby (2-2) picked up the win, scattering five hits while walking two and striking out five in as many scoreless innings. Jackson Gillis tossed 1.1 scoreless innings while fanning three and Justin Willis struck out both hitters he faced. Paxton Stover did not allow a hit in his one inning while striking out a pair.
Mississippi State starter Ethan Small (1-2) drew the hard-fought loss, permitting four hits and one run while striking out eight and walking two in 6.1 innings. The Dores tagged the next three relievers for nine runs with five coming against Cole Gordin, who allowed five hits while walking one.
Vanderbilt looks for its first sweep in Starkville since 2010 when the two teams close the three-game set on Sunday. First pitch has been moved to 11 a.m. with thunderstorms expected later in the day. The matchup will be broadcast on SEC Network Plus. Fans can listen to the broadcast on Nashville’s WNSR SportsRadio 560 AM and 95.9 FM or worldwide through the VUCommodores app.
