Posted by Brian Bennett
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- During warm-ups for Saturday's NCAA tournament elimination game against Indiana, Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin was alarmed to spot his starting pitcher swinging a bat out in the sun.
Corbin had to tell Sonny Gray to calm down and get his nervous energy under control. That would be the last time Corbin would have to worry about the freshman.
The right-hander mowed down the Hoosiers lineup and saved the Commodores' season in the process. Gray threw eight scoreless innings and struck out 10 in Vanderbilt's 10-0 win in the Louisville regional.
"He's a freshman, but he's not really a freshman," Corbin said. "He's just a competitive kid. And he brought his intensity level and competitiveness to the field."
Gray was buoyed by three early runs -- including a first-inning leadoff home run by Brian Harris -- but he had to work in the fifth inning. Indiana loaded the bases with three straight singles to open the frame as the Big Ten champs finally looked ready to bust out in this tournament.
Gray came back to strike out the next two batters looking on breaking balls. Then he got a ground ball to short to escape unharmed.
"We've gotten out of situations like that before," he said. "I just decided to cut it loose and see what happens."
The Commodores scored five runs in the bottom of the fifth to break the game open.
"It's easy for us when the pitcher and catcher are in a groove like that because you can let them do all the work, honestly," said outfielder Steven Liddle, who went 3-for-5 with three RBIs. "It puts a lot less pressure on the offense, and we can just go up there and swing the bats."
Gray quarterbacked his high school football team to back-to-back state titles and was drafted by the Chicago Cubs despite his firm commitment to Vanderbilt. He began his Commodores career as a reliever before being moved into the rotation on May 8 against Georgia. Saturday was just his fourth collegiate start.
He pumped mid-90s fastballs into the zone and turned to his curveball as a go-to pitch later in the game. Not only did he make sure that Vanderbilt advanced to Sunday, he saved the bullpen. The Commodores were looking for some momentum after Friday's loss to Middle Tennessee State, and their freshman pitcher gave it to them.
"The best thing about it is we're living one more day," Gray said. "We're still fighting."
ESPN.com Staff
