Vanderbilt Baseball, Davis’ Single Leads Black to Series Victory

Black walks it off to win the Black and Gold World Series

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – An RBI single from senior Cooper Davis in the bottom of the eighth pushed across the game-winning run as the Black Team walked things off in the series finale of the Black and Gold World Series on Sunday afternoon at Hawkins Field.

After a scoreless seventh inning from both sides, the two teams entered extra-innings to decide the series. Each team began the eighth inning with the bases loaded and one out. The Gold Team failed to capitalize on their scoring threat in the top of the eighth before Black walked it off in the home half with the Davis single.

Offense highlighted Sunday’s series finale, as the two teams combined for 17 runs on 14 hits. The two squads traded runs throughout the first four frames, before pitching settled in across the final four innings.

Junior Isaiah Thomas led the way for Gold, going 3-for-4 with two home runs. The Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., native added two runs scored, while driving in all of his team’s runs with eight RBI on the afternoon.

On the Black side, the duo of Davis and junior Dominic Keegan led the way, finishing with two hits apiece. Davis and Keegan also tied for the team-lead in RBI, each finishing with three.

Gold carried its momentum into Sunday, scoring the game’s first runs with a three-run first inning. With one down, Carter Young and CJ Rodriguez drew back-to-back walks to place runners on first and second. Thomas connected on the fourth pitch of the at-bat with a deep drive to right center for a three-run shot, placing Gold ahead, 3-0.

Black went on to score seven runs across the first three innings, before Thomas launched a grand slam in the top of the fourth for Gold to take an 8-7 lead that would hold through the next two innings.

The Black Team tied things up in the bottom of the sixth, as Keegan belted a solo shot to right field to make it an 8-8 contest.

After a scoreless seventh inning from both teams, Black scratched across the winning run in the home half of the eighth to secure the series victory.