Vanderbilt defeats Lipscomb at First Tennessee Park

Vanderbilt defeats Lipscomb at First Tennessee Park

The Lipscomb baseball team fell to No. 6 Vanderbilt 15-1 on Tuesday night in the annual neutral-site meeting between the two teams. The game was held at First Tennessee Park in Nashville, which is currently home to local professional sports teams (the Nashville Sounds and Nashville SC). The first two innings of the game stayed quiet, while both starting pitchers got off to stellar starts. Lipscomb freshman pitcher Scott Elgin started off by getting out seven of the first eight batters he faced. However, in the bottom of the third inning Elgin seemed to lose control of his pitches; he walked the first two batters he faced in the inning before getting the next two batters out. Elgin was then one out away from getting out of the third inning, but a 2-2 pitch to Vanderbilt right fielder JJ Bleday was rocketed over the seats in right center field to put the Commodores on the board first 3-0. Elgin then gave up a walk after the home run, which prompted the Bisons to make their first pitching change of the game. The Commodores’ starting pitcher Mason Hickman was also able to get off to an amazing start as well; however, his hot start continued for his entire day unlike Elgin’s. Hickman only allowed one baserunner through his first five innings. Going into the sixth inning Hickman had a no-hitter on the line, but a hard hit two-out ground ball by Lipscomb catcher Chaz Bertolani forced Vanderbilt’s shortstop and third baseman to run into each other, giving the Bisons their first hit of the day. Hickman was able to get...
Lipscomb baseball takes loss to Vandy in NCAA Regional opener

Lipscomb baseball takes loss to Vandy in NCAA Regional opener

The Lipscomb baseball team fell to Vanderbilt 9-1 at the NCAA regional game at Hawkins Field Friday night.  Vanderbilt spread out its scoring in the second, fifth, sixth and seventh innings. The Commodores started the scoring with two runs in the second inning on a two-run homer by left fielder Jeren Kendall. Vanderbilt’s big inning came in the sixth when it scored a total of five runs on three singles and a double. “We held with Vanderbilt the first few innings,” Lipscomb coach Jeff Forehand said. “We just gave them too many freebies.” The only run for the Bisons came from junior redshirt Adam Lee. “I saw that [Vandy starter Carson Fulmer] threw a slider on a three-two pitch,” Lee said. “I put a good swing on it, which led to a base hit.” Lee’s RBI was Fulmer’s first run surrendered in 27 and 2/3 innings at home. The last one was on March 14 against Arkansas. Fulmer, who is considered to be a first-round draft pick by many experts, pitched seven innings and had 11 strike outs. “We knew what he [Fulmer] was going to bring,” Forehand said. “He was using the breaking ball effectively and threw it short, which really messed with our batters. “It is hard to prepare for a guy that throws a 95-mile-an-hour fastball and the next pitch is a 79-mile-an-hour breaking ball at your waist.” Forehand said he hopes the bats for Lipscomb will ignite its offense Saturday. Lipscomb will take on Radford on Saturday at 3 p.m. in the losers’ bracket. Photo courtesy of Lipscomb...
Lipscomb baseball headed to Vandy for NCAA Regionals

Lipscomb baseball headed to Vandy for NCAA Regionals

When Lipscomb’s baseball team takes on Vanderbilt in the NCAA regionals Friday evening, coach Jeff Forehand will be just beginning his dream “business trip.” The trip to Vandy’s Hawkins Field, just off West End, isn’t the final destination of that dream. He’s not looking past Vanderbilt, but he has goals of getting much farther west, to Omaha — home of the College World Series. That’s where the Commodores were crowned national champions last year, and he knows Vanderbilt is looking for a repeat. “Every year we work for the same goal,” said Forehand, after his team won the Atlantic Sun tournament over the weekend and earned the school’s second NCAA tourney bid. “We want to end up playing in Omaha.” Of course, you’ve got to start somewhere, so Forehand said he believes the game at Vandy is just the first step of many to accomplish the goal of making it to the World Series. The Bisons baseball team defeated North Florida 8-7 in the Atlantic Sun baseball tournament championship game. Others in the Nashville region bracket include Vanderbilt, Indiana, and Radford. Vanderbilt will be the host team for this division. “This is somethng we have been working towards all season long, to see our name called on the screen for postseason play,” Forehand told Lipscomb athletics department reporter Kirk Downs, after his team watched the selection show on Monday. “It has been such a big day for our team to be able to see that together. “Vanderbilt is such a great team and it will be a unique experience kicking off the tournament on their home field right here...

Bisons set for big weekend at Vanderbilt

The Christmas season is over, and now spring season sports are back in full swing at Lipscomb with competition already underway. To start off the season, track and field and men’s tennis will both be traveling to Vanderbilt over the weekend. Men’s tennis has added four new players to its roster, enabling them to participate in their main season with a full team. Coach Mario Hernandez is excited for the next few months and believes that the bright, new players will bring a fresh dimension to the team. “There are a lot of things we have to get used to, especially being such a young team,” Hernandez said. “From what I have seen at practices, the guys are pumped to play and I can see that they are hungry to start this season.” Freshman Philippe Courteau has his eyes set on a victory. “This is my first collegiate match and I am excited to compete with these guys as a new Bison,” Courteau said. “I have waited two years for this moment since I began looking to play for a University, and I am ready to get out there and hit balls against some of the top men in the country.” The match begins on Jan. 16  at 5 p.m. at Vanderbilt’s indoor courts. The Commodores are standing at no.19 in the country, with one of their players in the top 10 when the NCAA rankings were revealed at the beginning of January. The rankings have given the Bisons some momentum, and they are looking for an upset. “The boys are coming into this competition as the underdogs, we have respect for this...