OMAHA, Neb. – It didn’t take long to figure out everything was going Vanderbilt’s way in an elimination game against North Carolina.
The Commodores raced out to a 5-0 lead after three innings with single runs in the first and third innings, and three runs in the second inning off a Connor Harrell three-run home run to left-center field, one of few home runs hit in the College World Series.
But while those were key moments in Vanderbilt’s 5-1 win over the Tar Heels, the fifth inning was the tell tale sign this was the Commodores’ night. With a pair of runners on base and two outs, Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin intentionally walked hard-hitting UNC third baseman Colin Moran to load the bases.
Making that decision wouldn’t seem silly most of the time. But considering the man in the on-deck circle, UNC catcher Jacob Stallings, who already had a pair of doubles against Hill, the decision seemed questionable.
“I think Taylor made us keep him in there in that situation. Going back to that inning, I’m not real sure how smart we looked intentionally walking someone to get to someone with two doubles,” Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin said. “But I thought Taylor could do a good job of keeping the ball away from Jacob.”
The move proved to be the right one for the Commodores. Hill elevated his game against Stallings and struck out the veteran UNC catcher on a 0-2 count, getting the ‘Dores out of the inning with a 5-1 lead, and essentially deflating the Tar Heels.
“He [Taylor] was able to make big pitches in big situations. I played with him in Chatham last summer and he was a sinker and slider guy,” Stallings said. “In those big situations [tonight] he elevated his game a little bit. I thought his stuff in that situation and other big situations was much better.”
Hill’s approach to the hard-hitting catcher was simple.
“I wanted to get ahead in the count and we called the away fastball. It was just one of those pitches where I gave it everything I had,” Hill said. “If he hit it, he hit it. But thank goodness he didn’t. I moved him [Stallings] in and out and went away. I was fortunate enough to have him swing through it.”
Hill, whose pitch count already was beginning to climb in a big way in the fifth, went two more innings for the Commodores, something huge if VU hopes to advance to the national title series with a pair of wins over Florida.
Hill struck out four, walked four, and allowed just a run on four hits in seven innings. He threw 125 pitches, 83 of them strikes, the pitch count not a big deal considering the right-hander’s last start was in NCAA Regional play against Belmont, where he allowed a run in eight innings.
“The story was Taylor Hill from a pitching standpoint. He came out and pitched very well for us tonight,” Corbin said. “He set the tone early by throwing a lot of strikes and did a tremendous job of neutralizing their offense and getting deep into the game.”
While Hill put together a performance to remember for the Commodores, the Tar Heels gambled by starting veteran right-hander Greg Holt, who was making just his second start of the season. In his last start against Miami, Holt allowed three runs on six hits in 5 2/3 innings.
Against the Commodores, the righty struck out just two batters and allowed five runs on four hits, two of those home runs, in just 2 2/3 innings.
North Carolina reliever R.C. Orlan entered the game after relievers Tate Parrish and Chris Munnelly and threw 3 2/3 scoreless innings. However, Vandy’s damage already had been done.
Even with its season finished, UNC remains proud about its campaign. After all, the Tar Heels certainly weren’t expected to get to Omaha entering the season. They far exceeded expectations.
“The Tar Heels had one heck of a season, we just got beat by the better team, a terrific team,” North Carolina coach Mike Fox said. “I really liked this team 1 through 35 on the roster. You hear the same stuff from coaches, but I don’t think anyone expected us to be here at the end of the season. That’s a credit to our players.”
Vanderbilt’s Omaha stay continues, but it has a difficult road ahead. The Commodores now must defeat season-long nemesis Florida, whom they’re 1-4 against and 0-1 against here at the CWS.
Vandy took another step toward its ultimate goal with a win over UNC. Now it must find a way to solve those pesky Gators.
“To beat Florida, you can’t give them anything,” Corbin said. “They put pressure on you pitching-wise and you have to change your approach hitting-wise. When they matchup with you, you have to focus on hitting the ball the other way. We’re going to have to do a better job of that. We can do that. We’ve matched up and won before.”
Game in a nutshell
Player of the game: Vanderbilt RHP Taylor Hill – With the Commodores in the losers bracket, they desperately needed a strong performance from the senior right-handed pitcher. Well, they got everything they needed and more. Hill was fantastic for the Commodores, striking out four batters and allowing just a run on four hits in seven innings of work. Hill threw 125 pitches in the game, 83 of them for strikes. The senior rose to the occasion when his team needed a strong start the most. Now the ‘Dores must beat Florida twice.
Turning point: Vanderbilt got off to an incredibly hot start against North Carolina on Wednesday, scoring five runs the first three innings to take a 5-0 lead over the Tar Heels. The Commodores got a three-run home run from the bat of Connor Harrell in the second inning to start the scoring while catcher Curt Casali added a solo home run in the third inning. Down 5-0 entering the fifth inning, the Tar Heels got on the board with a Ben Bunting RBI ground out. They also had the bases loaded with two outs with hard-hitting catcher Jacob Stallings at the plate. Vandy starting pitcher Taylor Hill buckled down and struck out Stallings to end the inning. VU never lost the momentum.
Where both teams stand: North Carolina’s season is over with the setback to the Commodores. However, it’s safe to say the Tar Heels exceeded expectations this season and put together a fantastic campaign to remember. UNC finishes the campaign with a solid 51-16 overall record. Vanderbilt, meanwhile, lives to see at least a couple of more days at the College World Series. The ‘Dores now have the tough chore of beating SEC rival Florida twice, a team they’re 1-4 against this season. VU will send right-handed pitcher Sonny Gray to the mound against the Gators on Friday. Gray has a 2.12 ERA in 119 innings, but most importantly, he struck out four and allowed just two runs on two hits in six innings the last time he faced the Gators.
Q & A with Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin
Freshman outfielder Tony Kemp has been electric and really has opened some eyes here in Omaha. Can you talk about the season he has had, and any comparisons?
Corbin: He definitely has the star power. It’s tough to compare him to anyone. He’s a Juan Pierre type of guy, but he’s not as tall as Pierre. He’s kind of like a former player we had at Clemson, Casey Stone, but he has more control of the strike zone. He’s kind of an anomaly. He’s a little guy with a big personality and he doesn’t fear hitting with two strikes. He also has an uncanny ability to catch anything that is hit near him and he’s as good of an outfielder as we’ve had in a long time.
Senior pitcher Taylor Hill really stepped up when you guys needed him to the most. Can you assess his stellar performance?
Corbin: He just pitched like a senior out there. I thought he threw well. He threw a lot of strikes and I thought his ball was sinking to the plate. He kept them off the barrel of the bat, and that’s impressive because North Carolina is a tough team to control because they’re a ground ball hitting team and all those lefties in the lineup really do a nice job of utilizing their speed and hitting the ball the other way. We were able to negate that by keeping Ben Bunting, Chaz Frank and Levi Michael from hurting us too much. I thought Taylor did the best job of any pitcher in this tournament.
Speaking of Hill, he had that fantastic fifth inning where he worked out of a huge jam with a strikeout. Can you talk about that frame and how it kept the momentum on your side?
Corbin: I thought we were in decent shape after that inning. That was a big strikeout [of Stallings] considering how hot he was at the time. I thought Taylor threw the perfect pitch, an extra hard fastball off the plate after he had thrown an off speed pitch inside. He had Jacob turning a little bit and was able to extend the plate. That was huge considering how well Jacob knows our players, especially Taylor.
Jason Esposito and Aaron Westlake, two of your better hitters, have just one combined hit in Omaha. But you’re still winning. Talk about that?
Corbin: You know, it’s a team game. Our offense is so balanced right now and we’ve got a pair of guys at the top that hit pretty well. Tony Kemp didn’t have a great SEC tournament and NCAA Regional, but he really has come alive in Omaha. We’re also getting help at the bottom of the lineup from Connor Harrell. Esposito and Westlake will hit at some point, as they’re numbers are just too good. Kids like that are pitched very effectively and pitchers attack them differently than, say, the 7-8-9 hitters in the lineup. It’s a matter of those two understanding that and not trying to do too much. The players look at the stat sheets, too, so it just boils down to getting a day off and saying, OK, I’m not coming out of my normal approach.
And lastly about Florida. It has had your number a little bit. Can you talk about playing them yet again?
Corbin: We’ve been neutralized by them offensively a bit in some of our previous meetings, but it’s not going to stay that way forever. It could change, it’s all about confidence and believability at this level.
Kendall Rogers is the college baseball editor for Perfect Game USA and has covered the sport for over 10 seasons. He can be reached at kendall@perfectgame.org