After dropping two out of three at Oklahoma this past weekend, No. 19 Vanderbilt returned home to take on crosstown foe, Lipscomb, at Hawkins Field on Tuesday evening. The Commodores nailed down their 27th victory on the year by piecing together a 10th inning rally to edge out the Bisons, 5-4, on pinch hitter Colin Barczi’s walk off RBI single.

“[The coaches] always preach being ready,” Barczi said. “You never know when you’re going to get put in or get an opportunity. I figured out I could have a shot to come in the last inning and I did. I’m just grateful.”

Brodie Johnston’s RBI sacrifice fly and RJ Austin’s successful theft of home plate put Vanderbilt up 2-0 in the first inning. Lipscomb responded in the top of the second with two runs before Braden Holcomb hit his third homer of the season, a no-doubt shot to left center in the fourth inning that gave Vanderbilt a 4-2 lead. 

Austin Nye took the mound for Vanderbilt and pitched five innings, giving up two earned runs on six hits. After Matthew Shorey pitched a scoreless sixth, Alex Kranzler produced two innings of one-run ball, giving the Commodores a 4-3 lead going into the final frame. Tommy O’Rourke came into the ballgame looking to earn a save and had Lipscomb down to their final strike. On a full count, the right-handed pitcher issued a wild pitch, scoring catcher Collin Goda from third base to tie the game up at 4. Despite issuing two walks in the bottom of the ninth, Lipscomb’s Collin Bosley-Smith got out of trouble and sent the game to extra innings.

Top 1: Vanderbilt 0, Lipscomb 0

Nye struck out Jake Berg to start the game before Brady Miller and Parks Bouck lined back-to-back singles to put runners on first and second. David Coppedge hit a soft ground ball right to Brodie Johnston at third base. Johnston tagged the bag and whipped the ball to first for a 5-3 double play.

Bottom 1: Vanderbilt 2, Lipscomb 0

Lipscomb starter Ryan Kutz issued a four-pitch walk to Jonathan Vastine, and drilled RJ Austin with a pitch. After Riley Nelson walked on a full count, Johnston hit a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Vastine from third. With runners on first and third and one out, Nelson slid into second safely after a late throw by Goda. Austin sprinted home and scored the second run of the inning after an errant throw by shortstop Kai Holm. Nelson advanced to third on the same play before both Mac Rose and Braden Holcomb struck out to end the inning.

Top 2: Vanderbilt 2, Lipscomb 2

Nye found himself in trouble after walking Holm on a full count and hitting Damion Kenealy Jr. in the back with a pitch. After the first-year slinger struck out Jacob Tobias, Holm and Kenealy Jr. ripped off a double steal to put runners on second and third with one out. Aaron Stelogeannis roped an RBI single to right to cut Vanderbilt’s lead to one before Collin Goda perfectly executed a sacrifice bunt to score Kenealy from third and tie the game up at 2-apiece. Nye induced a foul pop out by Berg to end the inning, but the damage was done.

Bottom 2: Vanderbilt 2, Lipscomb 2

The Commodores went down in order after Kutz quickly struck out Mike Mancini and Jayden Davis. David Mendez lined out to second to end the inning.

Top 3: Vanderbilt 2, Lipscomb 2

Nye struck out Miller before Bouck lined a single to left field. After Coppedge went down swinging, Holm singled to left and Bouck advanced to third on an RJ Austin throwing error to the cutoff man. Holm then stole second base, and Nye walked Kenealy Jr. to load the bases. Nye struck out Tobias to get out of the jam.

Bottom 3: Vanderbilt 2, Lipscomb 2

Vanderbilt went three up, three down again in the third inning. Kutz struck out Vastine and got Austin to ground out to shortstop. Nelson flew out to center to end the inning.

Top 4: Vanderbilt 2, Lipscomb 2

Stelogeannis struck out swinging and Goda skied out to the warning track in left center. Berg flew out to left field to end the top half of the inning.

Bottom 4: Vanderbilt 4, Lipscomb 2

Tanner Lyne replaced Kutz on the mound and got Johnston to fly out to center. After Rose lined a base hit up the middle, Holcomb mashed a two-run homer to left field to put the Commodores back up, 4-2. Mancini grounded out to the pitcher and Davis struck out swinging to end the inning.

Top 5: Vanderbilt 4, Lipscomb 2

Miller pieced a soft double to right before scrambling to third after Bouck flew out to right. Nye drilled Coppedge with a pitch, putting runners on the corners with one out. Coppedge got caught stealing on a sharp throw to second by Rose before Holm grounded out to second.

Bottom 5: Vanderbilt 4, Lipscomb 2

Mendez reached on an infield single to shortstop and moved to second after a balk by Lyne. Vastine struck out swinging, and Austin skied out to the warning track in right, advancing Mendez to third. With two outs, Nelson ripped a ball up the middle, but Holm made a diving grab at shortstop to save a run.

Top 6: Vanderbilt 4, Lipscomb 2

Matthew Shorey relieved Nye and hit Kenealy. Riley Nelson cleanly fielded a grounder, stepped on the first-base bag and threw out Kenealy at second for a 3-6 double play. Shorey struck out Stelogeannis to end the inning.

Bottom 6: Vanderbilt 4, Lipscomb 2

Johnston welcomed new pitcher Adam Switalski to the game by ripping a double down the left field line. Switalski struck out Rose and Holcomb, and Berg threw out Johnston on a steal attempt at third base.

Top 7: Vanderbilt 4, Lipscomb 3

Alex Kranzler replaced Shorey on the mound. Goda laced a single past Vastine at short, and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Berg. Goda stole third after Kranzler struck out Miller, and scored on an infield single by Bouck. Kranzler struck out Coppedge to evade further damage.

Bottom 7: Vanderbilt 4, Lipscomb 3 

Mancini grounded out to the catcher, and Davis struck out swinging. Coppedge made a backhanded pick at third and mowed down Mendez at first to end the inning. 

Top 8: Vanderbilt 4, Lipscomb 3

Kranzler stayed on the mound and came up huge for the Commodores. After Holm popped out to Nelson, the right-handed pitcher racked up back-to-back strikeouts of Kenealy Jr. and Sunseri. 

Bottom 8: Vanderbilt 4, Lipscomb 3

Left-handed pitcher Jake Lynch replaced Switalski on the mound. Goda took away an extra-base hit from Vastine with a diving snag in center field, and Austin was gunned down by half-a-step at first on a quick throw by Holm at shortstop. Nelson poked a single to right but was stranded after Johnston struck out swinging.

Top 9: Vanderbilt 4, Lipscomb 4

Tommy O’Rourke entered the game looking to close things out on the mound for the Commodores. Stelogeannis lined a single to right and advanced to second on Goda’s grounder to O’Rourke. Miller grounded out to second, sending Goda to third with two outs. O’Rourke threw a wild pitch to the backstop on a full count, scoring Goda from third to tie the game up at 4 and putting a runner on first. Rose caught a foul pop up to send Vanderbilt back up to bat.

Bottom 9: Vanderbilt 4, Lipscomb 4

Collin Bosley-Smith replaced Lynch and put Rose on first with a walk. Corbin elected to pinch run RJ Hamilton, who stole second base. Holcomb flew out to left field, and Mancini was intentionally walked. Davis struck out swinging, and Mendez flew out to shallow left center.

Top 10: Vanderbilt 4, Lipscomb 4

O’Rourke struck out Coppedge before Holm pulled a single past Johnston at third. Holm stole second, and was held at third after Kenealy’s single to left. Sunseri struck out swinging, and Kenealy stole second, putting runners on second and third with two outs. O’Rourke got out of the inning on Stelogiannis’s fly out to right.

Bottom 10: Vanderbilt 5, Lipscomb 4

Brock Puckett took the mound for the Bison in the 10th. Vastine and Austin both reached safely after back-to-back errors by Kenealy at first base. Both Nelson and Johnston went down swinging, sending Barczi up to the plate with two outs. The sophomore catcher ripped a single to right field and scored Vastine to win the game.

Vanderbilt will welcome No. 5 Georgia to Nashville on April 17 for a three-game series.