Eight Straight wins for Commodores
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Second-ranked Vanderbilt extended its win streak to eight games behind a strong start from Mason Hickman and a three-run second inning as part of a 5-1 series-opening victory against Hawaii at Hawkins Field on Friday night.
Hickman (2-0) held Hawaii to two hits across 6.2 innings. The right-hander, who has fanned double-digit hitters five times in his career recorded 11 Rainbow batters while allowing one run and did not allow a walk while in the contest. Hickman left the game with an arm issue after throwing 106 pitches, the most for any Commodores starter so far this season.
Hickman surrendered the only Hawaii run of the game in the fifth inning but was able to pitch out of further trouble in the frame, leaving one man stranded as he sat down Tyler Best on a swinging third strike to end the inning.
The Commodores sent eight batters to the plate in the second and got a two-run double from Harrison Ray, who extended his reached-base streak to 11 games with the at-bat. Two batters later, Parker Noland added an RBI-groundout to cap the three-run frame.
Ty Duvall (2-for-4) followed up Wednesday’s three-hit performance with his fifth multi-hit game. The senior, who upped his team-best average to .438, drove in a pair of runs including RBI-singles in the fifth and seventh for insurance.
Reliever Sam Hliboki notched his second save, tossing 2.1 hitless frames while striking out five. The tandem of Hickman and Hliboki held the Rainbow Warriors (7-4) hitless with two outs (0-for-10) as well as with runners in scoring position (0-for-4).
On the years, Hliboki, a true freshman from Los Angeles has been stellar out of the Commodores pen, tossing eight innings of scoreless, one-hit baseball in three appearances.
On the season, the Commodores team ERA now stands at 1.55 through 98.2 innings of work. As a staff, they are allowing opponents a combined batting average of .152 and have surrendered 22 total runs, with 17 having been earned. The Commodores starting pitchers are a combined 9-0 with an ERA of 1.30 with only Jake Eder- Sunday's starter- having an average above 1.0 on the season.
The teams return to action with the middle game set for 2 p.m.
