Shepherd guides Dogs past Aggies

HOOVER, Ala. — Cam Shepherd hit a tworun homer with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning to give No. 3 seed Georgia a 2-0 victory over sixth-seeded Texas A&M in the Southeastern Conference baseball tournament Wednesday at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium.

Shepherd sent a 2-2 pitch from Joseph Menefee (3-2) over the left-field fence, with the ball barely sailing over the glove of Aggies left fielder Cam Blake.

Georgia (43-14) got just three hits but still won an SEC tournament game for the first time since 2011, ending a string of eight straight losses in Hoover.

The tournament, which opened with Tuesday’s single-elimination first round, switched to double-elimination Wednesday and will continue in that format through the next two rounds to set up single-elimination play again for the semifinals and title game.

The Bulldogs remain in the winners bracket and will take on No. 2 seed Arkansas today, when Texas A&M (3720-1) will face Ole Miss in an elimination matchup.

Texas A&M starter Chris Weber held Georgia

hitless before allowing Randon Jernigan’s one-out single in the eighth.

Georgia pitchers Tim Elliott, Justin Glover and Zac Kristofak (5-0) combined on a two-hitter.

› Arkansas 5, Ole Miss 3

Jack Kenley drove in three runs to lead the Razorbacks (41-15) to victory in their opening game at the tournament and push the Rebels (34-24) to the brink of elimination.

Ole Miss led 3-2 before Arkansas pulled ahead for good on Kenley’s two-run single off

Zack Phillips (4-3) with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning.

The Rebels had runners on first and third with two outs in the top of the eighth, but Matt Cronin struck out pinch-hitter Chase Cockrell to end the threat. The Razorbacks added an insurance run in the bottom half.

Arkansas reliever Kevin Kopps (6-3) allowed one run in 1 2/3 innings. Cronin got the last four outs — all by strikeout — to earn his 11th save of the season.

› Vanderbilt 11, Auburn 1, 8 innings J.J. Bleday had five hits and Mason Hickman threw six stellar innings as top-seeded Vanderbilt (46-10) opened its time in Hoover by cruising past eighth-seeded Auburn (33-24), which managed just two hits.

The game ended after eight innings because of the tournament’s 10-run rule.

Bleday and Pat DeMarco both hit two doubles for the Commodores, who jumped out to a 6-0 lead by the end of the third inning, and Stephen Scott homered and drove in five runs. Hickman (7-0) struck out nine batters.

Kyle Gray (2-4) took the loss, giving up one run over 1 1/3 innings.