Vanderbilt sweeps doubleheader from Ole Miss
Published 8:10 pm Sunday, April 15, 2018
NASHVILLE — Vanderbilt handed Ole Miss two agonizing, nearly identical losses on Sunday.
Ethan Paul hit a walk-off, two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning to give the Commodores an 8-7 victory over Ole Miss in game one of a doubleheader.
In game two, Ty Duvall hit a bases-clearing double in the bottom of the sixth to bring in the winning runs as Vanderbilt secured another 8-7 victory.
The teams played a doubleheader following a rainout Saturday. Both games were shortened to seven innings, although game one required an extra one to settle things.
Ole Miss (29-8, 8-7 Southeastern Conference) scored four runs in the top of the seventh inning in game one to take a 7-6 lead, but Vanderbilt (22-14, 9-6) came back to tie it in the bottom half with an RBI single by Austin Martin.
Ole Miss scored again in the top of the eighth on a sacrifice fly by Will Golsan, only to lose it when Paul homered over the right field wall.
Game two was eerily similar for the Rebels. They overcame a 5-1 deficit by scoring four runs in the top of the fifth inning and two more in the sixth to go up 7-5.
Nick Fortes hit a two-run double and Tyler Keenan a solo home run to ignite the comeback. Cooper Johnson and Grae Kessinger had RBI singles in the sixth to cap it.
Vanderbilt, however, rallied in its half of the sixth. Two singles and a walk loaded the bases for Duvall, who ripped a double down the right field line to bring in all three runners and give the Commodores an 8-7 lead.
Ole Miss got the tying run in scoring position in the seventh inning, as Fortes reached on an error and stole second. Fortes was thrown out trying to steal third, however, and Cole Zabowksi struck out looking on the next pitch to end the game.
LSU 9, Tennessee 7
Daniel Cabrera hit a walk-off, three-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to cap an improbable comeback and give LSU (24-13, 9-6 SEC) a series sweep of Tennessee (21-17, 5-10).
LSU scored six runs in the bottom of the ninth after being held in check all day by Tennessee pitcher Will Neely.
Neely allowed three runs in eight innings, striking out six and walking one.
Two errors in the ninth inning opened the door for the Tigers, however, and they cut it to 7-6 on a double by Austin Bain. Two batters later, Cabrera took the first pitch for a ball and crushed the second deep into the right field bleachers for the game-winning home run and the Tigers’ first walk-off win this season.
Bain finished 3-for-5 with two doubles, three RBIs and two runs scored. Cabrera’s homer was his hit only hit Sunday in five at-bats.
LSU won its fourth game in a row.