LAS VEGAS — Vanderbilt lost 5-1 to Arizona on Saturday at the Live Like Lou Las Vegas College Classic at Las Vegas Ballpark.
Arizona starting pitcher Smith Bailey held Vanderbilt’s offense to one run on three hits over six innings. The Commodores finished with five hits on the evening.
The Commodores opened the scoring in the bottom of the second. Ryker Waite worked a walk and stole second. After Waite moved up to third on a groundout, Chris Maldonado then roped a double to the gap in right-center to score Waite and make it 1-0.
Arizona put runners on the corners in the top of the fifth, but Wyatt Nadeau painted a breaking ball for a strikeout to end the threat.
The Wildcats broke through in the top of the sixth with a leadoff double followed by an RBI triple to pull even. Arizona went ahead on a safety squeeze to take a 2-1 lead. The inning continued as Arizona loaded the bases and then scored two more runs on an infield single to go up by three.
The Wildcats made it a 5-1 game in the top of the seventh with a solo homer and would hang on to win.
Vandy starting pitcher Austin Nye exited the game after the first inning. Freshman Wyatt Nadeau came in and threw four scoreless innings, striking out three while giving up just two hits.
The Commodores will face Oregon on Sunday at 1 p.m. CT.
