Vanderbilt’s offense finds another gear late, running Marist out of Hawkins Field in a dominant 16-5 run rule victory
Vandy Boys Run-Rule Again
You couldn’t ask for a better day for February baseball at Hawkins Field, as the Vanderbilt Commodores welcomed the Marist Red Foxes for the first meeting in history. Coming off a dominant two game midweek sweep over Eastern Michigan, the Vandy Boys brought 16 home runs into today, leading the nation. They would add three more homers today in a 16-5 run rule win in eight innings, and use 18 hits to do it.
Mack Whitcomb would go 3-for-4 on the day, and afterwards I asked him how this week felt for the team to perform offensively the way they have.
“It definitely feels good. You know, as a team, we’re all bought into a plan, and we just go out there and execute it. Now that this day’s done, we had a good day, but, you know, it’s just onto the next, we have the next plan for tomorrow and we’re just gonna go out there and execute it. We all got tunnel vision for the next game, and that’s all we’re looking forward to now,” said Whitcomb.
Connor Fennell, your Friday starter, would take the mound and look to continue off the strong outing from a week ago where he threw 5.1 innings and struck out seven against the TCU Horned Frogs.
The Red Foxes would get on the board first, but were aided by a couple of first inning infield errors to put runners on the corners. Marist cashed in on a double steal, with TJ Baer coming in from third as Noel Rivera was caught at second. Fennell would get out of the inning without any further damage, by striking out Nathan Lincoln looking for the third out.
Mike Mancini made his season debut today and hit third in the lineup. Mancini wasted no time and jumped on his first pitch for a single that moved Brodie Johnston to third to put runners on the corners with one out. Johnston would then come in on an RBI fielder’s choice from Braden Holcomb to tie the game at one, and Mack Whitcomb would follow with an RBI double scoring Mancini all the way from first to take the lead.
The Dores bats were aggressive and put the ball in play from the very start. They have done a great job of that this week, and consistently hit to all fields, driving it in space. Vanderbilt would score three in the first, after Max Jensen recorded an RBI single, bringing Whitcomb home to give the Vandy Boys a 3-1 first inning lead.
After Fennell recorded his second strikeout of the game to start the second, Kyle Pollack would jump on one for a solo shot to left to pull Marist within one, 3-2, but that was a short lived great feeling for the Red Foxes as Fennell closed out the side with two consecutive strikeouts to shut it down. Fennell’s work of the zone was on point other than the one he failed to execute. Through two innings, he had only given up one hit and tallied four strikeouts.
However, in the third inning, after a strikeout to Luke Monico, TJ Baer jumped on another Fennell pitch and drove it over the left field wall and that tied the game 3-3. Fennell’s balls were just solo shots so far, and honestly that isn’t a bad thing. Overall the Red Foxes weren’t just doing a bunch against Connor Fennell, and balls that were contacted mostly found a Vandy Boys glove.
Coach Corbin spoke on the solos that Fennell gave today after the game.
“It’s the execution of the pitch that is getting him in trouble in those situations, but they are solos. And, typically solos don’t beat you unless you get a bunch of them. I think that’s the best thing is he’s able to bear down in situations where he needs to, and it’s kind of a hitter’s day today, particularly the right field, but at the same time, those are execution pitches. If he got ’em back, he’d probably do something a little different,” said Corbin.
Will Taylor of the Marist Red Foxes had managed to make it through four innings of work, with only that first inning’s three runs given up. The Commodores had cooled off, and given a few runners left on base, Taylor and the Red Foxes were coming away clean. This was a much different flow than the midweek, and actually was good for Vandy. It allowed them to make some in game adjustments to finish the game off strong, which they would.
Fennell came back out for the fifth and final inning. He began with his seventh strikeout of the game before retiring the side in order with two flyouts. He was having an efficient game, and other than the balls that were homers, Marist just wasn’t having much real success against him. He finished the day with 5.0 innings pitched, three runs allowed (two earned) on three hits, and seven strikeouts to no walks.
Brodie Johnston still hadn’t recorded a hit into the fifth, but Taylor wasn’t giving him much to work with and he didn’t really bail him out. In the bottom of the fifth, he took a leadoff walk and advanced on a wild pitch. Then, Mancini moved him over on a single to center field and the Vandy Boys were threatening with no outs. Mancini looked dialed in for his first game this season, in the box and in left field.
Finally, Braden Holcomb would come up and carry his third homer of the year to right for a three run shot to give the Commodores a 6-3 lead. That ball got up and kept carrying in the slight breeze, and that is all it needed. Taylor began to wear down, and Whitcomb singled, and Jensen followed with a walk to put two on and no outs. Rustan Rigdon would then lay down a perfect bunt back to the pitcher and beat it out for a single. The call went to review but was upheld.
Now, with the bases juiced, Taylor recorded his final strikeout to his final batter of the game before Andrew Fierro took the mound. Fierro would battle it out with Ryker Waite and win on a three-two pitch that retired Waite swinging. This was a big opportunity for Vanderbilt to push across some extra insurance runs.
Logan Johnstone came to the plate and worked an RBI walk to bring in Whitcomb to make it 7-3.
Brodie Johnston, who had been looking for his first hit of the day, finally got it. With two outs he placed a hit to left for an RBI double that scored Rigdon and Jensen to increase the lead to 9-3. Johnston stayed patient and found his pitch with a 1-2 count. The Dores put up a six spot in the bottom of the fifth on five hits in the inning, and for the third game in a row Vanderbilt had recorded double digit hits.
Coming into the sixth, England Bryan took the mound. Bryan came into the game with just 1.2 innings pitched in one appearance, where he struck out three, giving up one hit in the opener against TCU.
The Red Foxes took an opportunity and after Noel Rivera singled to lead off, Connor Lawrence got himself into the hitting column with a two run shot to right center to bring the score to 9-5 with two outs. One thing Marist did today was hit their share of home runs. Vanderbilt was able to do more, but that may be something to keep an eye on going forward. Bryan bounced back in the next inning and retired the Red Foxes in order, along with two strikeouts.
England Bryan continued his solid relief outing and headed to the mound for his third inning of work in the eighth. After a Rivera single, he struck out AJ Brotz looking before Rustan Rigdon and Ryker Waite turned a 4-6-3 double play that ended things for Marist. After seeing a shuffle of relief pitchers in the midweek games, it was good to see Bryan settle in and carry the load after Fennell exited for the save. It was an overall good day for Vanderbilt on the mound.
The Dores would then finish this game up. Holcomb reached on a single and later came home from a Whitcomb RBI double. Vanderbilt’s offense continued to put up runs. Max Jensen moved Collin Brightwell (pinch runner for Whitcomb) to third on a single, Rigdon recorded an RBI single through the 5-6 hole to score Brightwell.
Then, Korbin Reynolds teed off on a Fierro pitch and put it over to Memorial for a three run shot and Vanderbilt increased the lead to 14-5. That was Reynolds first collegiate homer. Ryker Waite then logged his second hit of the day and the 17th hit for the Dores, and then to top it off Logan Johnstone walked it off with a two run shot to right to give the Vandy Boys the 16-5 victory. Their third run rule of the week.
After two great innings by Fierro, Vanderbilt exploded in the final frame against him, and it just took some figuring out and adjustments.
“We found some holes, which was important. We hit seams of the field that they couldn’t defend, so there was a little, we’ll take that kind of luck. But then there were some big balls too. I mean, Reynolds got a ball up, Logan got a ball up, and when you make mistakes and you’ve seen the guy for a second time, you should be able to put swings on it like that. And I think that’s really what it was. It was the ability to see him two and three times around,” said Corbin.
Vanderbilt was also able to get stronger as the game went on and ended the day with 16 runs on 18 hits. Afterwards, I asked Coach Corbin about the Dores’ ability to get stronger as time goes on.
“They don’t panic and they do a good job of verbalizing what they’re seeing throughout the game. I think the talk within the bunker is good. It’s solid. It’s education. They don’t panic too much. They know they are a swing away sometimes, but I think just their ability just to go from a bat to a bat, to a bat. That’s where maturation helps when guys can leave the last at bat where it was and flush it and then move forward. And I think, you know, when you have guys like Logan, who’s very mature, Max is very mature. I just think in totality, the kids just have a better presence about them in terms of handling the at bat to at bat,” said Corbin.
The Dores are now 4-2 and have two more left this weekend against Marist here at Hawkins Field. It is early, but I like what I have seen from this team this week, and particularly today. The Commodores were able to come out, take an early lead and then respond to a few quiet innings before finishing it off. It was a solid day all around.
