Vanderbilt Opens Series with Convincing 9-1 Win
The Commodores kicked off their much‑anticipated matchup at Hawkins Field on Thursday night, routing the University of South Carolina 9‑1 in a performance that highlighted both pitching depth and offensive firepower.
Right‑hander Connor Fennell delivered 6.1 solid innings, scattering just one run while racking up four strikeouts, a effort that earned him his fourth victory of the season. Reliever Alex Kranzler closed out the game with 2.2 hitless frames, adding four more strikeouts to seal the shutout.
Offensively, Vanderbilt was relentless. Every spot in the lineup contributed, as the team collected 14 hits and saw all nine batters reach base at least once. Tommy Goodin went 3‑for‑4 with an RBI and two runs scored, while Ryker Waite drove in three runs on a pair of hits, including a two‑run single in the second inning that pushed the lead to 4‑1.
The Commodores answered South Carolina’s opening run with a four‑run burst in the bottom of the second, sparked by a double from Rustan Rigdon that put them ahead 2‑1. Waite’s subsequent single extended the lead to 4‑1, and the offense kept rolling, adding four more runs in the fifth inning highlighted by RBI singles from Braden Holcomb, Goodin and Korbin Reynolds.
Veteran coach Tim Corbin celebrated a milestone as the win marked his 1,100th career victory at Vanderbilt, a testament to his sustained excellence in college baseball. The team will look to carry the momentum into Friday’s 6 p.m. showdown, aiming to extend the series lead.