Back Home They Call Me Big Al, and I Hit Dingers: Vandy Takes the Series 13-5.

Late last night in Gumpland, this was our spirit animal:

Four different Commodores channeled Big Al and went yard in last night’s 13-5 series clinching victory. None were solo shots, which is nice. Pat “Run-DMC” DeMarco returned from a prolonged hamstring injury and morphed into Home Run-DMC on his first at bat—a 3 run bomb to center in the top of the 2nd.

We would never trail from this point forward.

In the 3rd, JJ Bleday continued his long ball onslaught on the rest of the SEC with his 18th Bledinger of the year—a 2 run shot on a chest high fastball to make it 5-0. I guarantee you when the pitcher threw it, he didn’t think Bleday could get his hands under a pitch that high.

He was wrong.

Kumar Rocker had yet another fine game—cementing his status as Saturday starter for the rest of the year—with a final line of 5 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 4 BB, 2 K on 85 pitches. He could have come back in the 6th, but Corbs didn’t want our hitters to get complacent, so he put Zach King in for the rest of the game, just to make things interesting.

King obliged, and gave up 2 runs in the 6th—one on an all too familiar wild pitch with a runner on 3rd to draw the game to the closest it would be since the 2nd inning (6-4). Bah.

No matter. In the 7th, Run-DMC-Batted-In came through with a single to left which plated Scott.

With Vandy at a comfortable but not too comfortable three run lead, Ty Duvall had perhaps the hardest hit ball of his life—a 2 run no doubter to right which was thrown back by a kid in the stands who was clearly not Henry Rowengartner—to put the game away.

But no... we were not done yet. Ain’t no party like a Home Run party cause a Home Run Party continues until they record the 27th out. *It’s not the best saying, I know, but it is accurate.

In the 9th, with the game clearly in hand, Chinfante broke out his Boom Stick. Whereabouts of this ball are currently unknown.

Two batters later, Bleday decided to pad his stats, and frighten every SEC pitcher by showing them that it’s his Dinger Party, and he can go oppo if he wants to.

That was Bledinger’s 19th bomb of the year. He’ll go for 20 today at 1pm CT on SECN+.

Raby will be on the mound.

Bring industrial push brooms to the park, as Alabama is a dirty state.