Vanderbilt eliminated from Clemson Regional in walk-off fashion after blowing 5-run lead

Vanderbilt opened Saturday’s action at the Clemson Regional in strong fashion. Unfortunately, the tables quickly turned with High Point mounting a major rally in the 5th and 6th innings.

Across the first 5 innings of the elimination game, the Commodores staked themselves to a 5-0 lead with a 3-run frame in the 4th. Colin Barczi delivered the big blow in that stretch with a 2-run home run to center field.

However, the pitching of Vanderbilt could not hold the lead. High Point would tie the game at 5 runs apiece with a 5-run 6th inning. Then, High Point surged ahead with 4 more runs in the bottom of the 7th inning. A 3-run, game-tying home run by Adam Stuart punctuated the bottom of the 6th for High Point.

Even after falling behind 9-5 after blowing the lead, Vanderbilt did not fold. The Commodores responded with 4 runs in the bottom of the 8th, including a game-tying RBI single by Jack Bulger.

Even tying the game at 9-all was a big win for Vanderbilt, but avoiding elimination was not in the cards. The Panthers were able to get 2 runners in scoring position in the bottom of the 9th, and a single to right field by Miggy Echazarretta was enough to send High Point to another regional game while sending Vanderbilt packing.

It goes down as the first-ever regional win for High Point.

WALK-OFF WINNER IN CLEMSON #GoHPU pic.twitter.com/ZjN3xm1UO4

— High Point Baseball (@HPUBaseball) June 1, 2024

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After previously dominating the regional round for the better part of a decade, Vanderbilt will miss the Super Regionals for a 3rd straight season since producing a runner-up performance at the 2021 College World Series. The Commodores previously made appearances at 9 Super Regionals from 2010-21.

Keys to the game

RJ Austin was on fire at the top of the order for Vanderbilt while going 5-for-5, but he did not get much help from the middle of the order. Matthew Polk, Jack Bulger and Braden Holcomb combined to go 2-for-12 in the elimination game, and Austin finished the afternoon with just 1 run scored as a result.

On the mound, Vanderbilt was unable to find anyone capable of putting out the High Point fire once the Panthers got rolling. A trio of Commodore pitchers were tagged for 9 earned runs, including Brennan Seiber who was credited with 3 earned runs and giving up 2 extra-base hits while completing just 0.2 innings pitched.

Paul Harvey

Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.