Vanderbilt overpower Lipscomb 15-1 in Tuesday night clash
Lipscomb baseball fell to the Vanderbilt Commodores 15-1 on Tuesday night at Ken Dugan Field. Despite a solid home crowd of over 1,000 fans and a mid-game offensive spark, a late-inning surge by the Commodores proved insurmountable.
The Commodores jumped out to an early advantage in the top of the first inning. After sophomore infielder Brodie Johnston notched a single to center field, graduate outfielder Logan Johnstone followed with an RBI single to open the scoring. Vanderbilt added to the momentum in the second inning when sophomore utility Rustan Rigdon crushed a solo home run to the right field, extending the lead 2-0.
Lipscomb senior pitcher Jace Trautner worked through the early pressure, but the Commodores continued to find gaps, adding runs in the third and fourth inning to push the lead to 4-0. The Bisons’ defense held steady during a high-stakes fourth inning, highlighted by a clutch strikeout from Trautner to strand runners and keep the game within reach.
The Bisons found their rhythm in the bottom of the sixth. Senior utility Aaron Stelogeannis jump-started the offense with a single to center. Moments later, junior infielder Cam Pruitt hit a single into the outfield, plating Stelogeannis and cutting the deficit to 8-1. The run energized the Ken Dugan Field faithful, but the Commodores’ pitching staff managed to stifle the rally before further damage could be done.
In the top of the seventh, Vanderbilt regained full control when Johnstone hit a two-run home run to push the score to 10-1. The Commodores broke the game open completely in the ninth, capitalizing on a two-run blast from sophomore catcher Aukai Kea and a bases-loaded single by junior catcher Mack Whitcomb to cap off a five-run frame.
The Bisons will look to bounce back as they return to ASUN Conference play this weekend. Lipscomb travels to face North Alabama in Florence, Alabama, for the series opener on Friday night at 7 p.m.
Featured image courtesy of Lipscomb athletics.
