Vanderbilt defeated Louisville 12-6 on May 5 in the annual Battle of the Barrel at Hawkins Field.
The game saw Vanderbilt come back from a four-run deficit, scoring 11 unanswered runs after trailing early. The Commodores’ offense recorded 11 hits, and six pitchers combined for a total of 14 strikeouts. Mike Mancini hit two home runs, helping Vanderbilt reach its season total of 100 home runs, matching a program record set in 2019.
Louisville started strong with a grand slam in the first inning to take an early lead. Vanderbilt responded with an RBI single by Logan Johnstone in the bottom half. Johnstone finished the game going three-for-four with three runs batted in.
In the third inning, Vanderbilt scored four runs to take a one-run lead, highlighted by Colin Barczi’s go-ahead three-run homer. After a lightning delay that lasted over an hour during the fourth inning, Vanderbilt extended its lead with five more runs in their next at-bat. Contributions came from Tommy Goodin’s leadoff double and consecutive RBI singles from Brodie Johnston, Braden Holcomb and Johnstone.
Mancini continued his performance with solo home runs in both the fifth and seventh innings. Although Louisville added two more runs on a homerun in the seventh, Mancini’s second long ball secured Vanderbilt’s advantage.
Pitcher Matthew Shorey made his season debut following an injury sustained during preseason and struck out all three batters he faced on just thirteen pitches to earn his first win of 2026. With this victory, Vanderbilt improves its record to 28-22 and will travel to Missouri for a weekend series beginning Friday.
