Vandy’s pitching by Holton, Cunningham dominates UCLA

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Carter Holton and Bryce Cunningham combined for a shutout Friday night as No. 10 Vanderbilt blanked No. 17 UCLA 6-0 in the series opener at Hawkins Field.

Holton (1-0) struck out seven over 5.2 innings and allowed just one base hit for the Bruins who boasted the top scoring offense of the weekend. Cunningham (S, 2) struck out four as he kept UCLA off the board over the final 3.1 innings for his second save of the season.

Vanderbilt scored five runs, all with two outs, in the bottom of the fourth to provide all the run support Holton needed.

The Dores loaded the bases on singles by RJ Schreck and RJ Austin and a hit-by-pitch by Parker Noland, bringing Davis Diaz to the plate. Diaz hit a grounder to the opposite field to score Schreck from third and Austin from second.

Vandy loaded the bases again as both sides’ rally continued. After Alan Espinal walked, Enrique Bradfield Jr.

The Dores tacked on a run in the fifth thanks to a throwing error by UCLA’s second baseman to lead 5-0 through four frames.

The score remained 5-0 until the bottom of the eighth inning when Diaz drove in his third run of the evening. RJ Austin and Parker Noland led off the inning with back-to-back singles. Austin took third on Noland’s base hit and scored on a fielder’s choice by Diaz.

Austin finished the evening 2-for-3, marking his fourth multi-hit performance in his first six collegiate games. He also scored twice.

Vanderbilt (4-2) and UCLA (4-1) continue their three-game series on Saturday at 1 pm CT on SEC Network+.