The moment could not have been more tense in Lexington, Kentucky Friday night. It was the bottom of the ninth and the bases were loaded with two outs. Vanderbilt found itself in the highest of any pressure situation. Instead of forcing some kind of out, Commodores pitcher Tyler Baird surrendered a walkoff grand slam.
Vanderbilt was a pitch away from winning 2-1, but instead lost the game 5-2 that it was in control of all the way through until the bottom of the ninth inning.
Baird’s outing started off well with 1.2 innings scoring going into the final inning, but two singles and a bunt for Kentucky loaded the bases and immediately turned all the pressure onto Baird before the ultimate ending.
What made the loss more frustrating is how well Vanderbilt pitched and played defensively throughout the night. Starting pitcher Connor Fennell gave a great outing that lasted 6.1 innings. Fennell allowed just five hits and just one earned run while striking out three Kentucky batters.
In terms of what to expect out of Fennell, Vanderbilt and its fans could not have asked for much more. Fennell helped put the team in position to win, but unfortunately for the Commodores, it did not turn out to be their night in the end. Fennell also got help from his defense as Vanderbilt threw out a runner at home in the fourth inning.
Offensively, it was not Vanderbilt’s night either. While the Commodores were able to get two runs early off a fielder’s choice RBI from Ryker Waite and a Brodie Johnston home run, they could not get anything going on the bases as the game went on. With the way Vanderbilt has scored this season, the performance it got on the mound would usually be more than enough to win. But that was not the case in the first game against Kentucky.
Vanderbilt finished the game with six hits and 10 strikeouts as a team and just drew two walks. That’s a credit to Kentucky, but it does not make the aftermath of the game any better.
And as with all losses, there are consequences. Friday’s series opener just feels like this loss stings just a little extra than other conference losses Vanderbilt has had this season. Fennell has been Vanderbilt’s go-to guy to start every SEC series this season. Fennell has been the pitcher Vanderbilt has relied heavily on to get a conference win due to the lack of pitching depth.
Now, Vanderbilt is going to rely on Wyatt Nadeau Sunday and a third starter to be named later for Saturday’s game to attempt a comeback in this series. Otherwise, Vanderbilt will lose its third consecutive conference series and put its NCAA Tournament position further in jeopardy.
And that is exactly why Friday’s loss could be perhaps Vanderbilt’s most painful loss of the year. Vanderbilt is now 7-9 in SEC play and on the verge of falling further. Additionally, the Commodores’ loss drops them further away from the NCAA Tournament bubble with little to no eye-popping wins on the resume.
The margin for error just got smaller for Vanderbilt. The Commodores will now look to respond to that Saturday at 1 p.m. CT for the second game against the Wildcats.
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