NASHVILLE – No. 15 Vanderbilt allowed a season-high 11 runs and dropped its series opener to No. 5 Ole Miss, 11-3 in front of a season-high 3,584 fans on Friday night at Hawkins Field.
The Rebels (29-6, 8-5 SEC) jumped ahead with three runs in the third inning and did not look back, distancing themselves from the Commodores (20-14, 7-6 SEC) in the late innings with seven runs in the final four frames.
After Ole Miss opened the scoring on a wild pitch in the first, the Commodores promptly tied the game and briefly took the lead in the home half. Austin Martin, Connor Kaiser and Stephen Scott started the frame with three consecutive singles, loading the bases with no outs. Pat DeMarco brought Martin home with a sharply-hit fielder’s choice to shortstop and Kaiser scored on a wild pitch, giving VU a 2-1 advantage.
The Rebels went ahead for good with three runs in the top of the third inning against Vanderbilt starter Drake Fellows on two hits, two walks and a hit batter. Ryan Olenek walked to start the inning and Thomas Dillard singled him home from second with one out to tie the game. After Fellows walked Cole Zabowski, Will Golsan singled to left field to bring Dillard in and give Ole Miss a 3-2 lead. Tyler Keenan was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and Chase Cockrell slapped a sacrifice fly to right-center field to give the Rebels a 4-2 cushion.
Fellows lasted 5.2 innings, allowing six runs on eight hits and five walks while striking out seven in the loss. Chandler Day replaced Fellows with men on first and second and two outs in the top of the sixth inning. Nick Fortes, Day’s first hitter, sent a two-run triple down the first base line, extending the Ole Miss lead to 6-2.
Rebels starter Ryan Rolison matched Fellows’ 5.2 innings, allowing just two runs on five hits and three walks while striking out eight Vanderbilt batters.
Golsan’s solo home run off Day in the seventh stretched the Rebels’ lead to 7-2 before Vanderbilt got back on the board.
Alonzo Jones tripled to the right-center field for the Commodores’ first extra-base hit of the game, and pinch-hitter Cooper Davis scored him with a groundout, clipping the Ole Miss lead to 7-3 before the visitors bounced back with three more runs in the eighth and one in the ninth to make it 11-3.
The Commodores’ previous season-high for runs allowed was 10, in a 10-2 loss at No. 2 Florida on March 31.
Martin led the Commodores, going 3-for-4 with a run scored. Olenek finished 4-for-5 with four runs for Ole Miss, while Fortes and Dillard added three hits apiece and Golsan went 2-for-3 with a home run.
Rolison improved to 5-3 with the win while Fellows was saddled with the loss, dropping to 4-2 on the season.
The teams return to action Saturday at 2 p.m. for the middle game of the series at Hawkins Field. Junior right-hander Patrick Raby (2-4, 2.88 ERA) will start for the Commodores against Ole Miss righty Brady Feigl (6-2, 3.09 ERA).
