Vanderbilt seeks answers after latest SEC loss
- Vanderbilt lost to Texas A&M 8-2 on Sunday, the second consecutive series the Commodores have lost.
- Vanderbilt's rotation continues to struggle, and coach Tim Corbin said he would discuss possible changes with his staff.
What can Vanderbilt baseball coach Tim Corbin do to right the ship?
With a sputtering weekend rotation, a spotty offense and a shaky defense, the answers will not come easily on the heels of another series loss.
Done in by an early deficit again, No. 11 Vanderbilt dipped below .500 in league play at the midway point of the SEC schedule after an 8-2 loss to Texas A&M on Sunday at Hawkins Field.
The Aggies (22-15, 7-8 SEC) jumped on sophomore pitcher Tyler Ferguson in the first inning and never looked back as Vanderbilt (27-10, 7-8) endured a montage of mistakes and unlucky breaks before a crowd of 3,015.
"I felt like as a team we came out flat and (weren't) there today and got what we deserved," Vanderbilt third baseman Xavier Turner said.
It was the second consecutive series in which Vanderbilt lost on Friday and Sunday, and it was the sixth time in seven SEC games it fell behind quickly. Texas A&M built leads of 4-0, 3-0 and 3-0 by the second inning of its three games in Nashville.
The Aggies scored in all five innings in which the leadoff man reached base Sunday. Ferguson gave up six runs (five earned) over six innings, and Vanderbilt starters surrendered 14 runs and 22 hits in 15 innings for the weekend.
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"I wasn't able to go out there and put up some zeroes early for us," Ferguson said. "They were guessing pitches, and I wasn't locating well, and it put us in a hole."
It was the second rocky outing in a row for Ferguson (5-2). Friday starter Tyler Beede has four losses in his past five starts. Saturday starter Jared Miller has lasted five innings in just one of his past five starts.
Asked whether changes were coming to the rotation, Corbin said he would talk about it with his coaching staff.
"We just have to think about the best way to attack the next five weeks in the SEC, because obviously they're important," Corbin said. "We had an opportunity to hold serve by winning today. It's not the end of the world, as I told the kids, but at the same time, we're going to have to find a way to keep growing as a team if we're going to get in this thing."
Texas A&M right-hander Grayson Long (4-1) scattered 11 hits (10 singles) over 72/3 innings. No. 9 hitter Krey Bratsen was 3-for-3 with a pair of RBI doubles and reached base four times to pace the Aggies' offense. Jonathan Moroney belted his first homer of the season.
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Turner extended his hitting streak to 22 games for Vanderbilt, which scored on a Dansby Swanson sacrifice fly in the third inning and a Rhett Wiseman RBI double in the fourth.
Vanderbilt threatened in the seventh with a pair of two-out singles, but the inning ended when Turner's liner headed for right field nailed Swanson in the hand, causing runner's interference.
That wasn't Vanderbilt's only mistake. Center fielder John Norwood bobbled a ball in the first that led to a run. In the bottom of the inning, the Commodores had two runners caught stealing.
In the seventh, Turner considered throwing to third base on a sacrifice bunt but then rushed a throw to first that wound up in right field. That led to two runs, the second of which scored on a strike-three wild pitch from reliever Carson Fulmer.
"I have a lot of confidence in my team," Turner said. "It's baseball. Every season is going to have some ups and downs, and right now we're going through some adversity."
Reach Jeff Lockridge at 615-259-8023 and on Twitter @jefflockridge.