May 6, 2003
Bowling Green, Ky. - A foursome of Vanderbilt pitchers combined to toss the first perfect game in the school's history Tuesday night and handed the Western Kentucky baseball team a 4-0 loss in the process at Nick Denes Field.
The Commodores' (23-23) staff combined on the perfect game. Starter Jensen Lewis, who got the win to go to 3-5, was perfect through five innings, before being relieved by Nick Pilkington. Lewis struck out five batters in facing the minimum. Pilkington and John Scott each threw an inning, while Matt Buschmann tossed threw the final two innings to get his fourth save.
The no-hitter was the first by the Commodores since April 19 of 1971 when Doug Wessel pulled the feat versus Belmont. It was the first time in Western Kentucky head coach Joel Murrie's 24 seasons that the Hilltoppers had been held hitless. Vanderbilt struck first getting two runs in the top of the fourth when Tony Mansolino homered to left field off Western starter Igor Roiberg (Jr., Toronto, Ontario). Warner Jones scored on the play after singling to right-center field. The homer was the third of the season for Mansolino.
In the top of the ninth, the Commodores stretched their lead to 4-0 with a two-run double by Worth Scott off Matt Wilhite (Sr., Franklin, Ky.). The loss was Western's fourth in a row marking the first time since April of 2001 that the Hilltoppers had gone four games without a win and lowered their record to 24-20. Roiberg fell to 1-3 on the season.
Western hosts Arkansas-Little Rock in a three-games series this weekend at Nick Denes Field. The first game is Friday at 6 p.m. (CST).
