The final game of Vanderbilt's series with the top-ranked Arkansas Razorbacks was rained out Sunday, securing a two-game sweep for the Commodores and their second Southeastern Conference series victory in a row.
Led by Mike Minor's superb pitching performance Friday night, Vanderbilt (21-13, 7-7) shut out Arkansas 9-0 in the series opener. Minor struck out 11 batters and allowed just four hits in eight innings of work. The top of the Vanderbilt line-up consisting of Andrew Giobbi, Steven Liddle and Curt Casali combined to go 6-11 with three runs scored and four rbis in the win. Jason Esposito scored a team-high three runs.
Saturday, the Commodores won in another rout, 13-6, to secure the series win. In a nine-run fifth inning, nine of the first 10 Commodore batters reached base. Liddle and Joe Loftus both hit two-run singles, and Brian Harris, Riley Reynolds and Jonathan White also plated runs to help break a tenuous 2-0 advantage into an insurmountable 11-0 deficit.
Caleb Cotham pitched seven solid innings and struck out 12 Arkansas (24-8, 10-4) hitters to improve to 5-3 on the season.
Vanderbilt returns to action at home on Tuesday when the team hosts Middle Tennessee State. The Commodores will get a chance for revenge after the Blue Raiders routed them last week in Murfreesboro, 8-0. Vanderbilt will host Alabama next weekend.
