NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Mike Sears' three-run home run in the top of the fifth broken the game open and No. 22 Indiana State jumped out to a nine-run lead on their way to topping No. 4 Vanderbilt, 10-2, on Tuesday night at Hawkins Field.
 
All nine Sycamores (23-12) hit safely in the contest as Indiana State took control over the game in the middle innings against Vanderbilt (29-8). The Sycamores scored two in the fourth, three in the fifth, and four in the sixth to pull away and added a Seth Gergely RBI single in the ninth to run ISU's win streak to 11 consecutive games.
 
Brennyn Cutts (1-3) was effective in the midweek start surrendering just one hit while striking out three over 3.1 innings. The Sycamore bullpen took over the rest of the way with Jacob Pruitt, Cameron Holycross, and Jared Spencer carrying a shutout into the seventh inning before Vanderbilt pushed across two runs late in the contest in the loss.
 
The Sycamore win on Tuesday night marked ISU's fourth win all-time against Vanderbilt and first since ISU topped the then-No. 1 Commodores, 8-1, back on February 21, 2015, in Port Charlotte, Fla. The victory also avenged an 8-7 extra-inning loss to Vanderbilt last season and snapped a six-game losing streak against VU.
 
Indiana State's win over the No. 4-ranked Commodores is also ISU's first win against a ranked opponent since the Sycamores took two of three at No. 20 Florida Atlantic (10-2 - May 12, 2021). ISU's win also marked the highest-ranked opponent Indiana State has defeated since topping No. 1 Vanderbilt back in 2015.
 
The Sycamores and Commodores were locked in a pitcher's duel early as Brennyn Cutts (1-3) and Vanderbilt pitchers Thomas Schultz and J.D. Thompson (2-1) traded zeroes on the scoreboard over the first three innings.
 
Indiana State took the lead in the top of the fourth on Parker Stinson's bouncing single up the middle scoring Miguel Rivera. Two batters later, Seth Gergely singled home Stinson to make it a 2-0 Sycamore lead.
 
The Sycamore bats stayed hot adding seven runs over the next two innings with Sears' 12th home run of the season scoring three runs in the fifth, while ISU sent eight batters to the plate in the sixth inning and scored four more runs to take a commanding 9-0 lead in the sixth. Gergely added a late RBI single in the ninth scoring Stinson for the second time to provide the final ISU tally on the scoreboard.
 
Cutts gave way to Jacob Pruitt in the bottom of the fourth inning. The freshman surrendered a pair of singles early, but made a pair of key defensive plays in the field to keep the shutout intact through the fifth.
 
Vanderbilt broke through on the scoreboard in the bottom of the seventh and added a late run in the ninth, but the game was never in doubt late as Indiana State closed out the win over the Commodores.
 
Gergely and Stinson both had a pair of multi-hit games to highlight an 11-hit game for the Sycamores.. Gergely added two RBI and reached base five times overall (two walks, one HBP) in the game, while Stinson, Adam Pottinger, and Rivera all scored twice.
 
Cutts picked up his first win of the season in the starting effort. Pruitt went 1.2 innings of two-hit relief and struck out two. Holycross went 2.0 innings allowing two hits and one run while striking out one. Jared Spencer closed out the game hurling the final two innings and striking out three.
 
R.J. Schreck had two of Vanderbilt's hits in the loss as the Commodore offense was limited to six singles on Tuesday night. Enrique Bradfield Jr. and Chris Maldonado had both of Vanderbilt's RBI.
 
Schultz went 2.0 scoreless innings and struck out three in the no-decision. Thompson took the loss after allowing four hits and two runs over 2.0 innings on the mound, while David Horn, Jack Anderson, and Colton Regen closed out the evening at Hawkins Field.
 
How They Scored

• Indiana State took the 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning as Parker Stinson and Seth Gergely both connected on RBI singles up middle scoring Miguel Rivera and Stinson to go up early.
• Mike Sears connected on a 1-2 pitch and drove the ball over the centerfield wall for a two-out, three-run home run scoring Miguel Rivera and Adam Pottinger to put the Sycamores ahead 5-0 in the top of the fifth.
• Four more Sycamore runs came across in the top of the sixth as Randal Diaz (RBI groundout), Adam Pottinger (RBI single), and Miguel Rivera (RBI double) all drove in runs to put Indiana State ahead 9-0.
• Enrique Bradfield Jr. put Vanderbilt on the board with a two-out RBI single up the middle in the bottom of the seventh inning scoring Jonathan Vastine to put the score at 9-1.
• Seth Gergely connected on an RBI single in the top of the ninth inning scoring Grant Magill to drive in the final ISU run and make it a 10-1 game.
• Chris Maldonado connected on a pinch-hit RBI single scoring T.J. McKenzie in the bottom of the ninth to provide the final margin.

 
News & Notes                                                                                                                                    

• Indiana State's winning streak hit 11 games on Tuesday night continuing the Sycamores' second double-digit winning streak in the Mitch Hannahs coaching era.
• The Sycamores previously won 12 in a row in 2014 from February 15 – March 10 that season with wins over Connecticut, Ohio State (twice), Lipscomb, Belmont, MTSU, New Orleans (three), and Western Illinois (three).
• ISU entered Tuesday's game ranked for the first time in the 2023 season as the Sycamores were selected No. 22 in the Collegiate Baseball NCAA Division I poll on Monday.
• The Sycamores picked up their first win over a ranked opponent in 2023 with Tuesday night's win. Indiana State previously lost to then-No. 22 Miami (Fla.) back on February 22 (9-3).
• Mike Sears connected on his team-leading 12th home run of the season in the Tuesday night win and has hit safely in six of his last seven games.
• Adam Pottinger ran his on-base streak to 11 consecutive games following his 1-for-4 day at the plate with a walk. His RBI single in the sixth inning also extended his hitting streak to seven consecutive games.
• All nine Sycamores in the starting lineup hit safely on Tuesday night marking the second time the team accomplished the feat in the last three games. All nine ISU starters also hit safely in Saturday's 10-2 win at Belmont.
• Indiana State has posted double-digit hits in each of its last three games (17 at Belmont – Apr. 15, 11 at Belmont – Apr. 16, 11 at Vanderbilt – Apr. 18).
• Brennyn Cutts picked up his first win on the mound in 2023 and first win since April 19, 2022, against Illinois.
• Cameron Holycross continues to excel out of the bullpen in 2023 as his ERA moved to 1.38 on the year.
• The Indiana State pitching staff continued its dominant trend over the winning streak. Over the last 100 innings, the Sycamores have surrendered 27 earned runs equaling a team 1.89 ERA on the mound.
• Miguel Rivera connected on his fifth double of the season in the sixth inning.
• Adam Pottinger recorded his second stolen base of the year in the fifth inning.
• Grant Magill and Seth Gergely were both hit by pitches in the game running ISU's Missouri Valley leading total to an even 60 through the first 35 games of the year.

Up Next
Indiana State is back in Missouri Valley play this weekend as the Sycamores return home for a three-game series against Southern Illinois running from April 21-23. First pitch in Friday night's opener is set for 6:30 p.m. Saturday's game is set for 2 p.m., while Sunday is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. ET. Friday and Saturday's games will be streamed live on ESPN+, while Sunday's series finale against the Salukis is set to be carried on ESPNU. All three games will also be streamed on 105.5 The Legend.
 
Among the weekend promotional items include a Sycamore Mini Bat Giveaway on Friday night (while supplies last). Sunday's game is Youth Sports and Kids Club Day with all kids 8th grade and younger wearing their youth jerseys getting in for free. Parents and family get in at a discounted rate.
 
Follow the Sycamores
For the latest information on the Sycamore Baseball team, make sure to check out GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Fans can also receive updates on Sycamore Athletics by downloading the March On App from both the App Store and the Google Play Store.