Vanderbilt Baseball (25-18, 9-10 SEC) dropped the first game of its series against the No. 4 Texas Longhorns (31-8, 12-6 SEC) by a score of 11-4 Friday, April 24. Vanderbilt’s starting pitcher Connor Fennell had a night to forget, allowing nine earned runs over 5.0 innings of work.

The Commodores allowed four home runs as a pitching staff, leading to a gap it could not close over the course of nine innings. But the team did hit two home runs of their own, bringing their season total up to 89. Through 43 games, their 2.07 home runs per game is higher than their record-setting 2019 campaign when they hit 100 home runs in 71 games en route to a national championship.

Korbin Reynolds and Mike Mancini led the way offensively, notching Vanderbilt’s two home runs together in the seventh inning. The Commodores loaded the bases after the two home runs in the seventh but failed to drive in any more runs.

“It could have become very interesting if we put the ball in play when the bases were loaded there at the end, but we didn’t,” head coach Tim Corbin said after the game.

Top 1: Vanderbilt 0, Texas 0 

Fennell sat the leadoff man in three consecutive pitches, but catcher Carson Tinney hit a double off the left-field wall the next at bat. Fennell left Tinney stranded at second by striking out the next two batters. 

Bottom 1: Vanderbilt 0, Texas 0 

Mancini and Brodie Johnston went down back-to-back — a deep pop fly to center then a ground-out to first. Braden Holcomb reached on an error by second baseman Ethan Mendoza, but Barczi struck out to strand Holcomb and end the inning. 

Top 2: Vanderbilt 0, Texas 0 

After making easy work of the first two batters, Fennell let up another double, this time to Ashton Larson. Fennell stranded the left fielder on second by striking out Casey Borba for the third out. 

Bottom 2: Vanderbilt 0, Texas 0 

Texas’ high-octane lefty, Dylan Volantis, struck out Chris Maldonado to start the frame. Ryker Waite popped out to right field after an impressive catch by Anthony Pack Jr., and Rustan Rigdon struck out. 

Top 3: Vanderbilt 0, Texas 1 

Fennell conceded a home run over the left-field monster to lead-off man Aiden Robbins, but the rest of the inning was quiet. 

Bottom 3: Vanderbilt 0, Texas 1 

The VandyBoys had another quiet inning, going three up, three down. 

Top 4: Vanderbilt 0, Texas 4 

Texas’ first batter of the inning reached on a single then advanced to third after a missed throw by Reynolds on a steal attempt. A sacrifice bunt and a two-run home run drove in three runs before Fennell struck out his fifth batter of the night. 

Bottom 4: Vanderbilt 0, Texas 4 

Volantis walked Holcomb, and Maldonado notched Vanderbilt’s first hit of the night to advance Holcomb to third, but Ryker Waite struck out to strand both. 

Top 5: Vanderbilt 0, Texas 9 

Pack Jr. singled to lead off and scored off an Adrian Rodriguez single. Reynolds caught Rodriguez stealing, but Mendoza singled next to replace Rodriguez on first. Temo Becerra bunted to advance Mendoza at his own expense, and Mendoza scored off a single by Borba after Larson walked. Josh Livingston hit a three-run shot to make it 9-0, before Fennell induced a pop out by Robbins to send the Commodores back to the plate. 

Bottom 5: Vanderbilt 0, Texas 9 

Rigdon, Reynolds and Will Hampton went down in order. 

Top 6: Vanderbilt 0, Texas 11 

Nate Taylor took over for Fennell in the sixth. The Georgia transfer sat his first batter but let up a double to the next. Rodriguez then took Taylor deep to extend Texas’ lead to 11. The next batter grounded out and Taylor sat Becerra to escape the inning. 

Bottom 6: Vanderbilt 1, Texas 11 

Mancini beat the shortstop’s throw to tally a lead-off single. After Johnston popped out to right, Holcomb singled to advance Mancini to second. Barczi broke the shutout by singling to score Mancini. Maldonado and Waite struck out back-to-back to end the inning. 

Top 7: Vanderbilt 1, Texas 11 

Rustan Rigdon made a diving catch in center field to record the first out of Tristan Bristow’s relief stint. Borba popped out then Bristow recorded his first strikeout. 

Bottom 7: Vanderbilt 4, Texas 11 

Rigdon led off with a double down the left-field line, and Reynolds rocketed a homer to score them both. Mancini followed suit with a solo shot to right field, his 13th home run of the season. Holcomb walked after Johnston grounded out, and Barczi hit a blooper to shallow right field to reach first. Goodin, pinch-hitting for Maldonado, walked to load the bases for Waite. However, the shortstop struck out to strand three runners.

Top 8: Vanderbilt 4, Texas 11

Bristow loaded the bases off walks while only recording one out. Jacob Faulkner took over and got out of the jam without allowing a run by inducing a pop up from Mendoza and striking out Becerra.

Bottom 8: Vanderbilt 4, Texas 11

Rigdon and Reynolds struck out to open the frame after leading the charge in the seventh. Hampton flew out to left field to usher in the ninth.

Top 9: Vanderbilt 4, Texas 11

Faulkner sealed his airtight outing by inducing two pop ups and a strike out.

Bottom 9: Vanderbilt 4, Texas 11

Mancini struck out looking and Johnston had a deep fly ball to left caught at the wall. Holcomb popped out to shallow right field to end the game.

Vanderbilt and Texas will face off for the second game in the series April 25 at 7 p.m. CDT.