The University of Mississippi Athletics
Baseball Falls to Vanderbilt, 11-8
6/21/1999 | Baseball
April 4, 1999
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Vanderbilt's Aaron Fausett hit two home runs and Andy Kropf blasted a grand slam to lift the Commodores to an 11-8 Southeastern Conference baseball victory over Ole Miss on Sunday.
Despite the setback, the Rebels won the three-game series, two games to one. Ole Miss' record now stands at 16-15 overall and 7-5 in the SEC, while Vanderbilt is 14-16 overall and 3-9 in the league.
Fausett led the Commodore offense with a 4-for-5 performance, including two homers, and three RBI. Kropf also had a solid day at the plate for Vanderbilt, going 3-for-4 with five RBI. Andy Beal (2-1) picked up the victory in relief, going 4.6 innings and allowing only two runs on five hits while striking out seven.
Rebel junior Jude Voltz paced the Ole Miss offense, going 2-for-3 with two homers and four RBI. Voltz hit five home runs in the three-game series. Alex Williamson had a 3-for-4 performance and an RBI. Junior lefthander Nathan Lyons (1-1) suffered the loss, going 3.6 innings and allowing seven runs on eight hits.
The Commodores got off to a great start in the first inning, taking a 6-0 lead on the strength of two home runs. Kropf's grand slam put Vanderbilt ahead 4-0, and moments later, Mark Prior followed with a two-run shot to increase the Commodore lead to 6-0.
In the top of the third, Ole Miss cut the Vanderbilt lead in half at 6-3 on a three-run homer by Voltz. The homer was Voltz's seventh of the season. After the Commodores added a run in the fourth for a 7-3 advantage, the Rebels stormed back again in the top of the fifth inning. Voltz's solo shot - his eighth homer of the season - cut the Vanderbilt lead to 7-4. Williamson and Michael Rosamond then followed with RBI singles to bring the Rebels to within one run at 7-6.
Vanderbilt added a run in the bottom of the fifth for an 8-6 lead, and Fausett then took over with a solo homer in the seventh and a two-run shot in the eighth to give the Commodores an 11-6 lead heading into the ninth. Justin Huisman and Rosamond each hit solo homers in the top of the ninth to cut the Commodore lead to 11-8, but the Rebel rally fell short.
Ole Miss returns to action on Tuesday, April 6 when it travels to Hattiesburg, Miss., to play Southern Mississippi in a 6:30 p.m. contest. Following Tuesday's game, the Rebels return home for nine straight games at Oxford-University Stadium, beginning with Memphis on April 7 at 7:00 p.m.
Ole Miss 0 0 3 0 3 0 0 0 2 - 8 11 0Vanderbilt 6 0 0 1 1 0 1 2 x - 11 18 2
OM - Nathan Lyons, Ryan Bukvich (4), Glen Morris (5), Cooper Campbell (7)and John Massey, Carl Lafferty (6); VU - Chris Maultsby, Andy Beal (5) andAndy Kropf. WP - Beal (2-1); LP - Lyons (1-1). HR - Jude Voltz (7,8),Justin Huisman (7), Michael Rosamond (9), Andy Kropf (5), Aaron Fausett(6,7), Mark Prior (3).