The David Williams Fall Classic began on Oct. 4, with Vanderbilt Baseball divided into two teams, Black and Gold, which will compete against each other in a best-of-three series. Team Gold emerged victorious in the opener, defeating Team Black 6-1 behind a strong performance from its bullpen. First-years shined on both teams, with standouts Brodie Johnston and Rustan Rigdon going 2-for-3 and each tallying a homer. 

After jumping out to an early lead, Team Black’s offense went cold, and Team Gold took advantage of Black’s bullpen, putting up four runs in the fourth, followed by two more in the fifth. 

Junior RJ Austin, who has been dealing with a shoulder ailment, went 2-for-3 at the plate, providing a spark for Team Black in an otherwise tough night. 

What they said

Vanderbilt head coach Tim Corbin had words of praise for both Johnston and Rigdon after the game. 

“Both of them have done a pretty good job in terms of just handling the baseball part of [their] first fall,” Corbin said. 

When asked what stood out to him today, Corbin immediately commented on the Gold Team’s bullpen staff.

“The bullpen of the gold team, more than anything, came in and shut that team out,” Corbin said. “They did a nice job.”

Johnston credited the upperclassmen and coaches with helping him transition to playing at the collegiate level.

“They’ve been really mentoring me,” Johnston said. “They’ll just kind of work with me and guide me.” 

Johnston also described how great he feels about the first-year class. 

“We came in here, and we’re handling, ” Johnston said. “And we all get along.” 

The game

Final

Both starters looked suitable for the Commodores, but right-hander Cody Bowker looked especially dominant for Team Black. He held opponents to just one hit through three innings, but Team Gold jumped on the bullpen after his departure. On Team Gold’s side, true freshman Hudson Barton held his own, allowing one ER but departing after just 2.1 innings. The difference in the game was the bullpens: While Gold’s bullpen allowed just one hit after Barton’s exit, Black’s bullpen surrendered six runs. Other offensive standouts included Will Hampton, who drove in two runs, and Chris Maldonado, who walked and scored a run in his return to the Hawk after missing most of last season due to injury.

Top 1: Black 1, Gold 0

Barton took the mound to get things started on the crisp Friday evening, getting two quick outs before fellow first-year Johnston roped a hanging curveball over the wall in left field to give his team a 1-0 lead. Johnston, the three-hitter in Team Black’s lineup, has opened eyes throughout the fall, looking to secure a spot in the spring lineup. Hampton made a nice running catch in right field to end the frame.

Bottom 1: Black 1, Gold 0

Cody Bowker opened his night looking sharp, blowing heaters past Maldonado and Mike Mancini for strikeouts. Rigdon laced a single for his first hit of the night. On the next batter, however, Bowker induced a slow grounder to leave Rigdon stranded at first. 

Top 2: Black 1, Gold 0

Barton began to struggle with his command in the second, walking two of the first three batters of the inning. A nice Mancini pick at second on a low throw from Jonathan Vastine and back-to-back Ryker Waite and RJ Hamilton punchouts helped Barton escape the inning unscathed. 

Bottom 2: Black 1, Gold 0

Bowker quickly settled into a groove in the second, striking out the side for a three up, three down frame. All three batters looked overmatched by the Georgetown transfer, who is poised to become a staple in the Commodore’s weekend rotation this spring. 

Top 3: Black 1, Gold 0

Barton struck out JD Rogers to kick off the third but allowed a line-drive single to Austin in the next at-bat. Johnston delivered once again, ripping a double under Rigdon’s glove and down the left-field line. After the double, Barton was removed from the game and replaced by Nashville native Matthew Shorey. Shorey promptly stranded his two inherited runners, keeping it a one-run game. 

Bottom 3: Black 1, Gold 0

Third baseman Waite opened the home half of the third with a nice charging play, barely getting first-year AJ DePaolo at first. Bowker retired the next two in order, putting him through three scoreless frames. 

Top 4: Black 1, Gold 0

Shorey opened the fourth by hitting Jayden Davis with a pitch before striking out Tommy Goodin. A tailor-made 5-4-3 double play off the bat of Waite ended the inning with Team Gold still down by one. 

Bottom 4: Black 1, Gold 4

After three dominant frames, Bowker’s night came to an end. Sophomore Luke Guth then took over on the mound. Following a Mancini flyout, Guth quickly unraveled. Rigdon smoked a line drive over the right-field wall, knotting the game up at one.

Then, an infield single from Mac Rose was followed up by Vastine’s double down the right-field line. Transfer sophomore David Mendez continued the barrage, singling home Rose to give Team Gold a 2-1 lead in the fourth. With the bases juiced, Guth struck out DePaolo before nine-hitter Hampton singled up the middle, scoring two more runs for Team Gold. Hampton was thrown out trying to advance to second to end the inning. 

Top 5: Black 1, Gold 4

Still in the game, Shorey got two quick outs with the help of a nice running catch in deep center by Mendez. Although he was replaced for a pinch runner in his last at-bat, Austin re-entered the game and roped a double the opposite way, but Shorey stranded him there by retiring Johnston. 

Bottom 5: Black 1, Gold 6

Junior Levi Huesman took over for Guth on the mound and promptly surrendered a leadoff walk to Maldonado. After Mancini flew out, Waite fumbled a ball at third, allowing Rigdon to reach base for a third time. Two wild pitches allowed Maldonado to come around and score, while a Vastine sacrifice fly scored Rigdon to give Team Gold a 6-1 lead entering the sixth. 

Top 6: Black 1, Gold 6

New Jersey native Tommy O’Rourke entered the game in the 6th, retiring team Black in order.

Bottom 6: Black 1, Gold 6

The 6’4” right-hander Sawyer Hawks entered the game in the sixth and recorded a clean frame when he retired the opposition in order, striking out Hampton to end the frame. 

Top 7: Black 1, Gold 6

Miller Green replaced O’Rourke in the top of the seventh, looking to close the game for Team Gold. Miller forced Goodin to ground out to second base. Aukai Kea lined out to third base after coming into the game for Waite, and Hamilton lined out to left field to end the game. 

The Commodores will return to the Hawk for Game Two of the David Williams Fall Classic on Oct. 22, with the first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m. CDT.