No. 4 Vanderbilt (29-8, 13-2) and Indiana State (23-12, 11-1) squared off in a high-level midweek battle on Tuesday evening at Hawkins Field. The Sycamores jumped all over Vanderbilt, racing out to a 10-2 win that was never in doubt. It was a horrendous night for the Commodores’ pitching staff, which allowed 10 runs on 11 hits and 10 walks.
“[Those pitchers] are on scholarship too, they’re expected to produce,” head coach Tim Corbin said in his postgame press conference. “Major ass-kicking, period.”
Senior right-hander Thomas Schultz took the hill to start the contest for Corbin and the VandyBoys. Schultz struck out two Sycamores in the opening frame, but allowed some hard contact to the top of the Indiana State lineup. Randal Diaz ripped a single for the visitors, but was stranded on first as Schultz fanned Adam Pottinger to close the inning.
Enrique Bradfield Jr. flared a would-be single to left to start the home half of the first, but Pottinger made a nice sliding grab to snag an out. RJ Schreck singled to right, but Jack Bulger was set down on strikes.
JD Thompson relieved Schultz in the top of the third inning after Schultz set down the Sycamores 1-2-3 in the second inning. Thompson encountered some trouble in his first inning of work, loading the bases for Indiana State after allowing two singles and hitting Seth Gergley. Thompson worked his way out of the one-out jam, however, striking out Randal Diaz and then inducing a weak fly out to center from Pottinger to keep the score level at 0.
Vanderbilt flashed some stellar infield defense in the top of the fourth with both RJ Austin and Davis Diaz making spectacular scoops and darts to first base, but Thompson ran into some trouble with two outs. After walking Miguel Rivera earlier in the inning, Thompson gave up a single to Parker Stinson that scored Rivera from second. Grant Magill walked on the ensuing at-bat and Gergely drove in another run with a single back up the middle to give the Sycamores a 2-0 lead. Josue Urdaneta stranded runners at the corners as Thompson escaped the fourth frame allowing just two earned runs.
Sycamore starter Brennyn Cutts exited in the bottom of the fourth after 3.1 innings of work. Vanderbilt struggled to get a hold of Cutts as he worked three strikeouts and allowed just one hit across 53 pitches for Indiana State.
Jack Bulger immediately took advantage of the pitching change, giving the Commodores their second hit of the night with a liner to right. Austin followed that up with a shot to third base that ricocheted off the glove of the Sycamore’s third baseman. Parker Noland kept the train moving with a liner through the left side of the infield to load the bases for the VandyBoys. Matthew Polk squared a bunt that came right back to reliever Jacob Pruitt, who tossed the ball home for an easy force out. Jonathan Vastine grounded out to first on the next pitch, leaving Vanderbilt off the scoreboard.
David Horn got the ball to start the fifth inning for the VandyBoys, but he ran into immediate trouble. Horn mixed in two outs with two walks and left a pitch over the plate that Mike Sears belted out to dead center. Sears three-run home run gave Indiana State a 5-0 lead before Horn induced a ground ball into the shift to get out of the inning.
Horn walked and hit a batter to open the sixth, but solid defense on a diving stop from Austin and throw across the diamond from Vastine nabbed two outs. Despite the fine play from Vastine, the Sycamores scored a run on the play to extend their advantage to 6-0. Pottinger ripped a single to right on the next at-bat to bring one more home for Indiana State and make the score 7-o. Horn walked the next batter and then allowed a double off the left field wall from Rivera as the Sycamores plated another to make it 8-0. With runners on second and third. Sears knuckled a swinging bunt that gave Noland trouble at first to score another Indiana State run, but Noland froze Luis Hernandez in between third and home as Vanderbilt caught him in a rundown to get out of the inning facing a 9-0 deficit.
Vanderbilt’s offense continued to scuffle as the VandyBoys went down 1-2-3 in the bottom half of the sixth to keep their hit total at just three.
Vastine walked and stole second with two outs in the seventh to finally give the Commodores a bit of life. Bradfield Jr. knocked a single up the middle with two strikes to bring in Vastine and give Vanderbilt their first run of the game, making it 9-1.
Jack Anderson pitched two hassle-free innings for the VandyBoys before Colton Regen came on in the top of the ninth. Anderson encountered a bit more trouble for Vanderbilt, walking Parker Stinson and allowing two singles to bring in another Sycamore run, 10-1. Austin continued to flash his glove at second base, picking a hot liner and throwing to second for a force out to end the inning.
TJ McKenzie walked to open the ninth and final frame and Ivan Arias reached on a base on balls as well to give the VandyBoys two on with no out. After an Alan Espinal strikeout, Chris Maldonado lofted a single to left center that brought McKenzie around to make the score 9-2.
The run stopped there, though, as Davis Diaz struck out and Calvin Hewett grounded out to end the contest. The loss was just the second midweek defeat for the VandyBoys this season.
