After a pivotal sweep of SEC powerhouse No. 5 Georgia this past weekend, Vanderbilt Baseball 30-10 hosted the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders 18-22 on Tuesday night at Hawkins Field.
The Commodores quickly fell back down to Earth after their sweep of Georgia, as starting pitcher Austin Nye let up a home run on just his second pitch of the night. This was only the beginning of Nye’s struggles, which weren’t solved by the bullpen. Head coach Tim Corbin experimented with six different players on the mound, none of which went more than two innings scoreless.
On the other hand, Middle Tennessee put together an excellent game through nine innings. They got out to an early lead and continued to pile on, scoring in four different innings. The Blue Raiders were outstanding with runners in scoring position, driving in runs on four of their nine hits.
“They clearly just beat us,” Corbin said. “They out catched us, they out hit us and they were more mentally engaged.”
The Commodores found themselves outmatched from start to finish. Coach Tim Corbin will certainly look to use this game as an example moving forward, serving as a reminder that no win streak guarantees the next.
Top 1: Vanderbilt 0, Middle Tennessee 1
Eston Snider took Hawkins Field by surprise with a home run to left center off Austin Nye’s second pitch of the evening. Tyler Minnick added a single, but the rest of the inning was smooth sailing for the Commodores.
Bottom 1: Vanderbilt 0, Middle Tennessee 1
Bryant Beranek got off to a shaky start, walking Riley Nelson and hitting Brodie Johnston with a wild pitch. A fielder’s choice to third and two ground outs allowed Beranek to escape the inning unscathed.
Top 2: Vanderbilt 0, Middle Tennessee 2
Nye continued his slow start, walking Matt Wolfe on a full count and letting up a double to Brett Rodgers. Hayden Miller grounded out, driving in Wolfe and extending Middle Tennessee’s early lead. Heads-up defensive plays by Nye and Johnston got Vanderbilt out of the inning before too much damage was done.
Bottom 3: Vanderbilt 1, Middle Tennessee 2
After strong defensive innings from both sides, Beranek kept things rolling with outs on Nelson and Johnston. Rustan Rigdon responded with a solo home run to right center, pumping some much-needed life into Vanderbilt’s offense. Holcomb struck out swinging to curb the effort.
Top 4: Vanderbilt 1, Middle Tennessee 3
The bats stayed hot for the Blue Raiders with a ground-rule double from Wolfe. A single from Miller drove in the run with a close call at home. Tim Corbin looked to switch things up, ending Nye’s night early and replacing him with Matthew Shorey. Clapp singled to left but a fly out from Snider put an end to the inning.
Bottom 6: Vanderbilt 3, Middle Tennessee 3
After pitching changes on both sides and two excellent defensive innings from Ethan McElvain and Cole Torbett, respectively, Vanderbilt took the plate with pressure starting to build up. Holcomb got things moving with a lead-off walk. Barczi struck out looking and Vastine walked. A single to right field from Mac Rose got Vanderbilt on the scoreboard for the first time in three innings. Humphrey drove a nice ball to right field that was caught, but an error at second base allowed Vastine to reach home and tie things up. Mancini struck out looking
Bottom 7: Vanderbilt 3, Middle Tennessee 3
A pair of singles from Nelson and Johnston quickly put the Commodores in scoring position. A mound visit led to another pitching change for the Blue Raiders with Ethan Imbimbo coming in for Torbett. Vanderbilt was unable to capitalize on its momentum and three consecutive outs ended the inning.
Top 8: Vanderbilt 3, Middle Tennessee 5
Brett Vondohlen struck out and Minnick was hit by a pitch. Back-to-back wild pitches allowed Minnick to advance to second and then third. Keaton Ray bounced a single into right field, driving in Minnick and giving the Blue Raiders the lead once again. Another single from Wolfe put Middle Tennessee in striking position and forced Corbin to return to the bullpen. Levi Huesman entered the game but was almost immediately pulled after a wild pitch brought in another run. England Bryan came in for Vanderbilt’s 6th different look of the night and finally closed out the inning with a strikeout against Miller.
Bottom 9: Vanderbilt 3, Middle Tennessee 5
After coming up short offensively in the 8th and a defensive stop in the 9th, Vanderbilt had one last chance to turn things around. Nelson and Johnston put two outs on the scoreboard to start the inning but singles from Rigdon and Holcomb kept hope alive. This spark wasn’t enough, as Barczi struck out to end the night with a disappointing loss.
The Commodores will take a trip to Oxford, Mississippi and look to bounce back against No. 23 Ole Miss in a crucial SEC road series. The series opens on Friday, April 26, with first pitch scheduled for 6:30 p.m CDT.
