Indiana baseball defeated Vanderbilt University 5-1 on Tuesday afternoon at Charles Hawkins Field in Nashville, Tennessee. The Cream and Crimson’s record is now 8-12 and 4-8 in road contests.
Indiana graduate student left-handed pitcher Conner Linn started Tuesday’s contest. He pitched 3.2 innings, allowing four hits and one walk. The Kokomo, Indiana, native struck out five Vanderbilt hitters.
After two innings of limited offensive action, the Hoosiers struck first in the top of the third inning. Sophomore infielder Will Moore walked with one out before sophomore catcher/outfielder Hogan Denny lifted a two-run, opposite-field, home run that carried over the right-field wall.
The Mooresville, Indiana, native continued his offensive success throughout the contest. Denny hit another two-run, opposite field, home run in the top of the seventh inning after Moore walked again to give the Hoosiers a 5-0 lead.
Ultimately, Denny batted 4 for 5 from the plate Tuesday. His two-home run performance was his second of the year — he went 2 for 3 with two long balls during Indiana’s 15-3 win over Bradley University on Feb. 17. He also hit two doubles against Vanderbilt.
Denny is the fourth player in Indiana’s sophomore class with four or more hits in a single game. Sophomores Cooper Malamazian, Jake Hanley and Will Moore were the previous three players to accomplish that feat.
The Hoosiers’ other run came on an RBI infield single from Hanley. Vanderbilt sophomore infielder Brodie Johnston made a back-handed diving play at third base to save an extra-base hit by Hanley, yet his throw was late to first base.
Indiana’s pitching remained dominate throughout the contest.
Redshirt junior right-handed pitcher Jacob Vogel relieved Linn with two outs and runners on first and second in the bottom of the fourth inning. He escaped the jam, striking out Vanderbilt sophomore catcher Aukai Kea to end the inning.
Vogel pitched 2.1 innings. He didn’t allow an earned run and struck out one Vanderbilt batter during his appearance.
Freshman right-handed pitcher Ivan Mastalski took over for Vogel in the bottom of the seventh with zero outs. The freshman pitched two innings, collecting three strikeouts. However, he allowed one earned run and three hits.
Vanderbilt scored its first run of the game in the bottom of the eighth inning. Senior infielder Chris Maldonado roped an RBI single, his 16th RBI of the year, into left-center field.
Graduate right-handed pitcher Gavin Seebold captured the final three outs for Indiana. He walked Vanderbilt sophomore utility player Rustan Rigdon to start the inning but induced a crucial double play in his appearance.
The Hoosiers ultimately held the Commodores to a measly 1 for 16 with runners in scoring position, and 2 for 20 with runners on-base. Vanderbilt averaged exactly nine runs scored per game through 21 contests heading into the midweek battle.
Indiana’s win over Vanderbilt marked its first victory over a Southeastern Conference opponent since 2023, when the Hoosiers beat the University of Kentucky in the Lexington Regional.
Indiana’s next game is against Minnesota at 6 p.m. Friday night back home at Bart Kaufman Field at Bloomington. That contest begins a three-game weekend series against the Golden Gophers.
Follow reporters Elakai Anela (@elakai_anela and eanela@iu.edu) and Will Kwiatkowski (@WKwiatkowski_15 and wdkwiatk@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana baseball season.
