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Vanderbilt's super freshmen may have destroyed Georgia's spot at a NCAA Tournament bid.
T.J. Pecoraro and Kevin Ziomek combined to hold the Bulldogs to just one hit as the Commodores pulled out a seven-inning mercy rule win in their SEC Tournament opener Wednesday night, 10-0. Pecoraro left the game after 3.1 innings due to an apparent elbow injury. The severity of the injury isn't yet known.
Tony Kemp and Jason Esposito did most of the damage for the 'Dores at the plate, combining for six hits, five RBI, and five runs. Esposito's solo home run in the second inning put the team on the scoreboard, and they never looked back from there. A four-run rally in the seventh inning brought the game to a halt thanks to the tournament's mercy rule.
Vanderbilt will move on to face #1 South Carolina on Thursday at 9 PM Eastern Time. The Gamecocks spotted Auburn the first three runs of their game earlier today, but came back to win 7-3 and advance to the winner's bracket. There's no official word yet on who will start for the Commodores, but Friday starter Sonny Gray seems likely. Carolina burned their #1 starter Michael Roth through 116 pitches in a complete game earlier in the day.