NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Interstat) – Vanderbilt hosts South Carolina on Saturday afternoon in an Southeastern Conference baseball matchup at Ken Dugan Field at Stephen Lee Marsh Stadium. First pitch is set for 4 p.m. with clouds and a temperature of 72 degrees forecast.

The Commodores (30-23 overall) enter the game after a 9-1 victory over the Gamecocks on Thursday, the first of a three-game series. Friday’s contest ended in a scoreless tie after weather halted play. Vanderbilt will look to build momentum behind right-hander Connor Fennell, who earned the win Thursday by allowing one earned run on four hits over 6 1/3 innings, striking out seven. The junior has posted a 2.84 ERA over his last two starts, though he was tagged for nine earned runs in a loss to Texas on April 24.

South Carolina (22-32) has lost 10 straight games, including a 5-2 defeat to Winthrop on Tuesday. The Gamecocks have been outscored 58-21 during that stretch. Reliever Parker Marlatt has been a bright spot, tossing two scoreless innings Thursday with three strikeouts and no hits allowed. The right-hander has not surrendered an earned run in six of his last eight appearances, spanning 11 1/3 innings. However, South Carolina’s offense has managed three runs or fewer in seven of those 10 losses.

Saturday’s matchup features two pitchers with contrasting recent trajectories. Fennell (4-3, 4.20 ERA) will aim to replicate his dominant outing against the Gamecocks. South Carolina has not named a starter but will likely rely on its bullpen early. Marlatt, who has a 3.12 ERA in 26 appearances, could see extended innings.

The Gamecocks are batting .247 as a team and have struggled in SEC play, going 8-19 in conference games. Vanderbilt, meanwhile, is 14-15 in SEC action and has won three of its last five overall. The Commodores are averaging 6.1 runs per game and have a .978 fielding percentage, while South Carolina’s defense has committed 68 errors.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 4-1 Vanderbilt victory, giving the Commodores a 70.70 percent probability to win based on its ELO ratings.

The series concludes Sunday with first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m.