HOOVER, Ala. (AP) — JJ Bleday had five hits, Mason Hickman threw six stellar innings and top-seeded Vanderbilt cruised to an 11-1 win over No. 8 seed Auburn on Wednesday in the Southeastern Conference Tournament.
Vanderbilt (46-10) rolled to a SEC regular-season title with 23 league wins and kept the momentum going in Hoover. The game ended after eight innings because of the tournament's 10-run rule.
Bleday and Pat DeMarco both hit two doubles for Vanderbilt, which jumped out to a 6-0 lead by the end of the third inning. Stephen Scott had five RBIs and hit a solo homer. Hickman (7-0) struck out nine batters.
Auburn (33-24) managed just two hits. Kyle Gray (2-4) took the loss on the mound, giving up one run over 1 1/3 innings.
Vanderbilt will play Mississippi State at 8 p.m. Thursday. The Bulldogs needed 6 hours and 17 innings to defeat LSU in a game that ended at 3:03 a.m. Thursday morning.