The No. 4 Vanderbilt Commodores (27-6, 11-1 SEC) trounced the North Alabama Lions (6-25, 0-12 ASUN) 14-2 on Tuesday night. The Commodores’ offense dominated the visiting pitchers, recording 13 hits while walking nine times. Despite a rocky start, the Vanderbilt pitching staff combined to hold the Lions down and secure a seven-inning run-rule win.
“It’s just good to get a win,” head coach Tim Corbin said in his postgame press conference. “Doesn’t matter how you get them. Doesn’t matter the day. We just try to get them as best we can.”
Per usual, Greysen Carter got the nod as the Commodores’ midweek starter against North Alabama’s Brycen Parish. The Vanderbilt lineup notably omitted Jack Bulger, who was used as the designated hitter on April 8 and committed several mistakes at catcher during the Missouri series beforehand. Instead, Alan Espinal caught, and freshman Chris Maldonado returned to the lineup as the designated hitter in the cleanup spot.
Carter had a rough, brief outing. After retiring the first two hitters, he walked one and subsequently hit Kyle Machado with a 94 m.p.h. fastball in the helmet. Luckily, Machado stayed on his feet and seemed unharmed. After walking the next hitter to load the bases, Carter allowed a grounder through the middle that plated the first two runs of the game for the Lions. Carter was withdrawn after just one inning.
Vanderbilt bounced back in the bottom of the first. Enrique Bradfield Jr. worked a full count before chopping an infield single to lead off the inning. After reaching second on a Davis Diaz walk and third on an errant pickoff attempt, Bradfield Jr. scored on a sacrifice fly by RJ Schreck to make it 2-1.
The Commodores then brought all nine hitters to the plate in the bottom of the second to score four runs and take the lead. The VandyBoys rallied with a leadoff single from Parker Noland, doubles by Matthew Polk and Espinal, and walks from Bradfield Jr. and Schreck before Maldonado drove in the fourth and final run of the inning. Along the way, Vanderbilt knocked out Parish after just 1.2 innings.
In the bottom of the third, Vanderbilt took advantage of abysmal pitching by their opponents to extend their lead. Noland led off with a single that turned out to be the only hit of a four-run inning. Espinal, Diaz, Schreck and Maldonado walked consecutively, only broken up by a Bradfield Jr. hit-by-pitch as the Commodores went up 8-2.
JD Thompson took the hill for Vanderbilt in the second inning to relieve Carter. The freshman southpaw threw two innings, allowing just one hit while striking out two to earn the win.
The VandyBoys were back for more in the fourth. Noland yet again led off with a single, reached third on a single by Polk and scored on a Jonathan Vastine sacrifice fly. Bradfield Jr. singled and scored his fourth run of the game on a Diaz single that drove in two. Vanderbilt thus took an 11-2 lead into the fifth.
The VandyBoys put up another three-spot in the fifth inning off doubles by Noland and Vastine. Calvin Hewett also joined the hit parade, pinch-hitting for Polk, singling and scoring a run.
The Commodores used David Horn in the fourth, Jack Anderson in the fifth, Colton Regen in the sixth and Thomas Schultz in the seventh on the mound. None of them allowed a run, and the Lions finished with just two hits on the night.
Vanderbilt will next face one of their biggest tests of the season in a weekend series against No. 6 South Carolina, an SEC East foe. The series opener will be on Friday, April 14 at 6 p.m. CDT at Hawkins Field. Pitcher Carter Holton, who was scratched from his most recent start due to soreness, is questionable to return for the Friday start.
“We’ll know more tomorrow,” Corbin said. “Yesterday, he felt good. So we’ll see.”
