After a thrilling walk-off defeat of Lipscomb two days before, No. 19 Vanderbilt Baseball (28-10, 9-7 SEC) took on No. 5 Georgia (33-7, 10-6 SEC) for the first game of the weekend series on April 17.
JD Thompson got the nod as the starter and went for his longest appearance of the season. After letting up a solo homer to the first batter he faced, he looked dominant the rest of the way. In his strongest performance to date, he finished the night with a statline of 8 innings pitched, 5 hits, 14 strikeouts and 1 walk on 120 pitches.
“I just kept my head down and understood that the first-inning solo shots weren’t going to beat me today,” Thompson said. “I think the focus just dialed in a little bit better, and I just got on top of guys.”
After his commanding eight innings, Thompson made an effort to stay in the game.
“He wanted the first hitter in the ninth, but he had done his job,” Vanderbilt head coach Tim Corbin said.
Georgia started equally strong defensively thanks to Brian Curley’s near-flawless first six innings (6 innings pitched, 8 strike outs, 3 hits and 1 walk). After just one hit through the first six innings, Brodie Johnston put the Commodores on the scoreboard with a lead-off homer to center field. This opened the floodgates and led to three more hits for Vanderbilt, another run and three pitching changes for Georgia in the seventh.
Vanderbilt stayed hot through the eighth with two more hits, including an RBI single from Braden Holcomb to extend the lead. Junior Sawyer Hawks rounded the evening for the ‘Dores with a 16-pitch performance and a strikeout to grab the win.
Top 1: Vanderbilt 0, Georgia 1
On just the third pitch of the game, Slate Alford launched a no-doubter to left field, giving Georgia a quick one-run lead. Unfazed by the homer, Thompson responded by striking out three straight batters.
Bottom 1: Vanderbilt 0, Georgia 1
Curley got off to a strong start with an RJ Austin pop-out and a Jonathan Vastine strikeout. Riley Nelson made things interesting with a triple that snuck by a diving Georgia centerfielder Devin Obee. Johnston followed up by reaching for a bad pitch, striking out on a 2-2 count and leaving Nelson stranded on third.
Top 2: Vanderbilt 0, Georgia 1
Thompson made it a smooth one-two-three with a strikeout against Nolan McCarthy, a pop out from Robbie Burnett and a nice play from Vastine to beat Tre Phelps to first.
Top 4: Vanderbilt 0, Georgia 1
After both teams had failed to get a hit for the past inning and a half — off the back of great pitching from both Thompson and Curley — Branch was walked by Thompson to give the Bulldogs a base runner. Adams then flew out to left, and Thompson came to life with three straight strikes, sending Ryland Zaborowski back to the dugout. The inning ended with a McCarthy flyout to center.
Bottom 4: Vanderbilt 0, Georgia 1
Vastine and Nelson opened the offensive effort with a fly out and ground out, respectively. Johnston then made nice contact to the gap by third, but was cut off with a diving play and a nice throw by Alford.
Top 6: Vanderbilt 0, Georgia 1
Following an inning of continued excellence on the mound, an error from Vastine allowed Alford to reach base. Branch then singled to left field, sending Alford to second. Thompson cut off a bunt from King and took the fielder’s choice to get Alford out at third. The southpaw closed things out with back-to-back strikeouts on Zaborowski and McCarthy for his eighth and ninth of the night.
Bottom 6: Vanderbilt 0, Georgia 1
Mike Mancini struck out to lead-off and Austin was hit by a pitch. Vastine and Nelson both grounded out, making it five straight innings without a hit for Vanderbilt.
Top 7: Vanderbilt 0, Georgia 1
Thompson stuck out two more for a strong start to the seventh. Obee singled to left field, but Thompson answered with his 12th strikeout against Henry Hunter, bringing Vanderbilt fans to their feet.
Bottom 7: Vanderbilt 2, Georgia 1
Johnston led off the inning with a bang, launching a bomb over the Hawkins Field scoreboard to even the score at 1-1. Rustan Rigdon followed with a single to center field, forcing Georgia manager Wes Johnson to pull Curley after a dominant six innings with eight strikeouts and just one walk.
After taking the mound, Tyler McLoughlin threw a ball in the dirt and then hit Holcomb with his second pitch, prompting Johnson to make another pitching change. Zach Brown entered the game and immediately gave up a single to Colin Barczi, allowing Rigdon to score Vanderbilt’s second run of the inning. On the same play, Holcomb was tagged out trying to reach third. Jacob Humphrey extended the rally with a double to right field, advancing Barczi to third.
Georgia switched up the pitching yet again, sending in Eric Hammond, who would get the Bulldogs out of the inning by forcing Mancini to line out and striking out Austin.
Top 8: Vanderbilt 2, Georgia 1
Thompson continued his career night, forcing a ground out and striking out the next two batters to keep the momentum on Vanderbilt’s side.
Bottom 8: Vanderbilt 3, Georgia 1
After Vastine struck out, Nelson kept the bats hot with a single to left center. Johnston then reached first, and Nelson got out at second on a fielder’s choice. Hammond walked Rigdon. A single from Holcomb drove in Johnston, extending Vanderbilt’s lead and resulting in another pitching change for the Bulldogs. Nate Taylor came in and forced a pop up from Barczi to get out of the inning.
Top 9: Vanderbilt 3, Georgia 1
Sawyer Hawks entered the game, replacing Thompson, and quickly ended the evening with a ground out from Ryan Black followed by a strikeout and a fly-out.
Vanderbilt will continue its weekend series against Georgia tomorrow, April 18, with first pitch slated for 6 p.m. CDT.
