Vanderbilt lived to fight another day.
Led by an eight-inning shutout performance by starter Sonny Gray, the Commodores defeated Indiana 10-0 in an elimination game at the Louisville Regional on Saturday.
They face Middle Tennessee in another do-or-die contest tomorrow; the Blue Raiders defeated Vanderbilt 5-4 on Friday in the first round.
"It feels great," Gray said. "The best thing about the win is we live one more day."
The Commodores got off to a fast start, with Brian Harris leading off the bottom of the first with a home run and Jonathan White following with a triple. Curt Casali drove him in with a groundout to stake Gray to a 2-0 lead.
It was all he would need as he scattered seven hits and struck out 10, while walking just one batter. It was the freshman's second consecutive double-digit strikeout performance in just his fourth career start.
"I have to give Sonny credit for how well he pitched," said Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin. "Not only did he keep Indiana from scoring any runs, he did that in a game where the wind was blowing straight out to center field."
Taylor Hill retired the side in the ninth to finish off the rout. Gray wanted the complete game but Hill was given the work since he hadn't thrown in nearly a month.
"He is a very competitive kid and anyone from the state of Tennessee knows that," Corbin said of Gray. "He just brought that intensity level and competitiveness when he pitched, but there's no pressure to him."
There was certainly little pressure after Vanderbilt piled it on in the fifth inning with five runs to break the game open. Steven Liddle hit a 2-RBI single and Aaron Westlake plated two runs with a double as the Commodores batted through the order. Indiana starter Matt Bashore was tagged for eight runs, seven earned, in just 4 1/3 innings of work to take the loss.
Liddle led the team with three RBIs on three hits, with eight of the nine Vanderbilt batters scoring or driving in at least one run.
"We got some big hits early in the game to get momentum and give us some confidence right from the start," Liddle said.
