CLEMSON, S.C. – Vanderbilt overcame an early three-run deficit and the resurgent bullpen kept Clemson’s offense in check as the Commodores secured a 4-3 victory on Saturday night at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.
The win vaulted the No. 2 seed Dores into the NCAA Clemson Regional finals on Sunday at 5 p.m. CT. Vandy (33-25) will face the winner of the Tigers (46-15) and No. 3 seed St. John’s, who meet in an 11 a.m. CT elimination game.
Clemson scored twice in the first inning and once in the second before Vanderbilt’s offense punched back. VU put two in scoring position in the second and used a Julian Infante RBI-groundout and Ethan Paul two-run home run to even things up.
Pat DeMarco (1-for-3) opened the fifth with a double and came home to score the eventual winning run two batters later as Connor Kaiser (1-for-3) sent a one-out RBI-single up the middle. Kaiser helped turn three double plays and added a running grab in foul ground in the ninth inning.
Vanderbilt’s bullpen kept the Tigers off the board over the final seven innings. Patrick Raby (5-5) earned the win as the first reliever out of the pen, tossing 1.2 hitless innings while striking out one and walking a pair.
Jackson Gillis fanned three batters in the seventh, stranding a leadoff single at second base. Reid Schaller worked a perfect eighth before Chandler Day locked in his fourth save, inducing a fly out from Seth Beer to leave the tying run at first base.
Austin Martin (2-for-4) and Paul (2-for-3) added two hits while seven different players recorded at least one base knock. Paul’s second-inning homer, which snuck inside the left-field foul pole, was his 18th career and first since April 17 against Evansville.
Vandy enters Sunday one win shy of advancing to its fifth NCAA Super Regional in the last six years. A loss would send the Dores into a winner-take-all Game 7 on Monday at 3 p.m. CT.
