Monday, March 5, 2007

Commies Blank Musketeers for Sweep

Vanderbilt closed out their series against Xavier with an impressive 9-0 victory to close out a three game sweep against the Musketeers this past weekend in Nashville. With the win, the Commies moved to 14-0 on the season, the best start in school history, and capped off an undefeated 11 game home stand.

On Friday, the Commies rallied for the eighth time this season to beat the Musketeers 3-2. Pedro Alvarez hit his sixth home run off the season to provide the go ahead run in the bottom of the fifth inning. Andrew Giobbi hit a two-run double in the bottom of the third inning to account for the other two Commie runs.

The big story in this game was, not surprisingly, David Price. He gave only gave seven hits over nine innings and walked run in his complete game outing. He also struck out 13, his third straight game with double digit strike outs. He trails only Mike Willis (350) and now Cleveland Indians pitcher, Jeremy Sowers (327) on the school’s career strikeout list with 288. Price could easily reach the all-time Vandy record within his next six outings if he keeps up this pace, perhaps sooner.

On Saturday, Brad French’s three-run home run was the highlight of a five-run, fourth inning as Vanderbilt beat up Xavier in a 10-3 victory. Nick Christiani picked up the win and moved to 3-0 on the season. He gave up three runs on six hits and two walks and struck out 5 in 5.2 innings of work. Stephen Shao then relieved Christiani and pitched 1.1 innings of scoreless relief before Ty Davis came on to finish the Musketeers off with two innings of scoreless relief.

In the fourth, when the Commies broke it wide open, Alex Feinberg led off with a walk and Pedro Alvarez singled. Ryan Flaherty then walked to load the bases. Andrew Giobbi's sacrifice fly scored Alex Feinberg to tie the game. She Robin reached on an error and Dominic de la Osa hit another sac fly to score Alvarez. French then lit up the scoreboard with a bomb over the left center fence.

In the fifth, Ryan Flaherty laced an RBI double to score Feinberg who had reached on a walk. Brad French then hit a single to score Giobbi, who had reached on an RBI single that scored Flaherty. French led the Commies going 3-3 from the place with four RBIs and Pedro Alvarez had three hits with two RBI’s.

Brett Jacobson was nearly unhittable on Sunday with impeccable control, throwing seven shutout innings, striking out six and walking only one batter: the first one he faced. After that he settled in and mowed down the Musketeers.

Offensively, the Commies, who were led by a near-cycle performance from Jonathon White (just a triple shy), pounded out 12 hits on their way to a 9-0 rout. Nearly all of the Commies’ nine runs came in an inning with two outs.

The Commies go on the board early when Alvarez, after singling, scored on a double by Flaherty. Dominic de la Osa then scored on a double by Jonathon White to take a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first. White got things started in the fifth with his first home run of the year, a solo shot to right. Alvarez then walked, stole second and scored on an RBI single by Ryan Flaherty. Andrew Giobbi closed out the inning with a two run home run, his first-ever collegiate home run. De la Osa led off the sixth with a walk and later scored on a throwing error during a run down between third and home. (Those fundamentals will kill ya’. I guess Xavier didn’t purchase the Tom Emanskiy video endorsed by Fred McGriff.)

Cody Crowell pitched a scoreless eighth and the Commie Closer Casey Weathers struck out two in a scoreless ninth to close out the game and the series sweep.


The Commies will leave the friendly confines of Hawkins Field for a Tuesday match up at Western Kentucky before coming back to host Illinois-Chicago in a three game series this coming weekend.

2 comments:

Stanimal said...

The biggest surprise I think of this year thus far has not been David Price, but the incredible depth we have in our pitching staff. Price we knew would be dominant, but the rest of our staff has been amazing. Woody, do they have ERAs for our boys on the website?

Woody said...

Sure do, but here they are (through Saturday's game):
STARTERS:
12 Mike Minor....... 1.84
11 Nick Christiani.. 2.70
14 David Price...... 3.04 3-0
21 Brett Jacobson... 3.86 2-0

BULLPEN:
18 Casey Weathers... 0.00
42 Ty Davis......... 0.00
27 Caleb Cotham..... 0.00
13 Stephen Shao..... 1.59
35 Cody Crowell..... 2.70
34 Tyler Rhoden..... 3.18
32 Josh Zeid........ 27.00

Team Totals......... 2.62