LEXINGTON, Ky. – Vanderbilt fell 17-7 in seven innings to No. 2 Kentucky on Friday night at Kentucky Proud Park.
Jonathan Vastine, who homered on the first pitch of the game Thursday night, sent the first pitch Friday down the line in left for a double. Davis Diaz followed with a two-run blast to right field as the Dores took a 2-0 lead.
Kentucky hit back-to-back home runs in the home half of the first to erase Vandy’s early advantage.
The Wildcats plated three more runs in the inning to lead 5-2 after one full.
The Dores clawed back in the top of the second. Braden Holcomb singled with one out and Calvin Hewett followed with a two-run shot to left to pull Vandy to within a run at 5-4.
Kentucky got a run back in the bottom of the second on a sac fly and extended its lead with seven runs over the next three frames.
The Cats scored twice in the third, twice in the fourth and three times in the fifth to go up 13-4.
Vandy put a three-spot on the board in the top of the sixth. Hewett walked and Vastine hit his second double of the evening to put runners on second and third. With two outs, RJ Austin singled home Hewett and after Austin took second on a wild pitch, Alan Espinal roped a double over the right fielder’s head to score Vastine and Austin.
Kentucky answered with four runs in the bottom of the sixth to lead 17-7.
Vastine and Polk each turned in 3-for-4 nights with Vastine scoring twice. Diaz, Espinal and Hewett drove in two runs each.
Vanderbilt and Kentucky will meet for the series finale Saturday at 11 a.m. CT on SEC Network.
