The Dirtbags didn’t have a hit in the first six innings of their game against No. 10 Vanderbilt (10-4) on Wednesday night at Blair Field, but that didn’t stop them from pulling off their second upset in five days. LBSU (5-8) beat No. 9 Ole Miss over the weekend.
“It wasn’t a very clean game and we took advantage of some free opportunities,” LBSU Coach Troy Buckley said. “Things can happen if you just stick around. When we play well, we’re in games.”
Dirtbags freshman catcher Chris Jimenez delivered a two-out, two-run single in the seventh to give LBSU the lead after LBSU entered the inning trailing 3-1. He also threw out a pair of base runners.
LBSU third baseman Domenic Colacchio led off the seventh with a single to center field for his team’s first hit of the game. After a sacrifice bunt and a fly out, second baseman Jarren Duran worked one of his two walks, and center fielder Clayton Andrews beat out an infield single to load the bases with two down.
Jimenez hit a ground ball the other way on a 3-2 pitch, and beat first baseman Julian Infante to the bag. Duran and Andrews wheeled around to score and give LBSU the 4-3 lead.
“I’m always trying to do a job for my team,” Jimenez said. “We just keep grinding. We knew we had a chance.”
Junior Eli Villalobos earned the win in relief, tossing 1.2 scoreless innings with a walk and a strikeout. Closer Chris Rivera allowed a two-out single and a walk to put the pressure on in the ninth, but recorded a strikeout looking on a 3-2 pitch to earn his fourth save of the season.
The Dirtbags will be in College Station, Tex. this weekend for a three-game series against No. 8 Texas A&M. It’s their third straight Top 10 opponent.
