Vanderbilt baseball's season ends with loss to Xavier in NCAA Nashville Regional

Despite winning 19 conference games and the SEC Tournament, Vanderbilt baseball's season ended with a whimper in the Nashville Regional elimination game Sunday in 2-1 loss to Xavier at Hawkins Field.

The Commodores' offense struggled mightily to get anything going, with the lone baserunner between the third and eighth innings coming when RJ Schreck reached on an error in the sixth inning and was then caught stealing. The game entered a four-hour rain delay beginning in the top of the ninth inning.

Vanderbilt (42-20), the No. 6 national seed in the NCAA Tournament, was eliminated before the regional final for the first time since 2016 and will not qualify for a super regional in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2008-09.

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Hliboki's start

Vanderbilt starter Sam Hliboki put up 5⅓ solid innings, giving up four hits and one run with no walks and three strikeouts against Xavier (39-24). After largely cruising through his first five innings, he hit a batter and gave up a single, then a flyout that advanced the runner to third.

He was then pulled for Patrick Reilly, who allowed the runner to score on a sacrifice fly but got out of the inning. In his second inning of work, Reilly allowed two singles and then second baseman RJ Austin booted a tailor-made double play ball to load the bases. Though Reilly got a strikeout, he hit the next batter with the bases loaded to give Xavier the lead.

Offense quiet

Vanderbilt's offense was unable to do much against Xavier starter Luke Hoskins, getting just one run in seven innings with three hits, two walks and a double that trickled off the third baseman's glove as the lone extra-base hit. It was the longest start of the season for Hoskins.

The Commodores repeatedly hit the ball on the ground at infielders. After scoring a run in the third, Vanderbilt didn't get another hit or walk until the eighth inning, when Jonathan Vastine singled.