Bat Cats hold off Missouri 9-4 in extra-innings
Kentucky scores six runs in the top of the 11th inning to hold off Missouri 9-4 in extra innings Friday night.
After totaling just six hits and three runs through the first 10 innings of play, the Wildcat offense exploded for six runs and four hits in the 11th.
Mitchell Daly continued his impressive veteran play, going 2-4 at the plate with three RBI. Emilien Pitre notched just one hit, but his two-run double in the 11th wrapped up the victory for Kentucky.
Along with totaling at least nine runs and nine hits for the seventh consecutive game, the Cats increased their win streak to seven games.
Friday marked Kentucky’s first extra-inning game and win of the season.
Kentucky improved to 19-3 (4-0) on the season with the win.
Wildcats jump out to early lead
The Kentucky bats stayed hot on Friday, as the Cats jumped out in front almost immediately.
Ryan Waldschmidt ripped a single to left field on the first pitch of the game, setting an immediate tone. Following an Emilien Pitre walk and a Devin Burkes bunt single, red-hot Nick Lopez had a chance to put runs on the board without any outs.
Lopez however grounded into a 1-2-3 double play, preventing Kentucky’s first run of the game from crossing the plate. They wouldn’t exit the half inning empty handed however, as Mitch Daly knocked a two-run single up the middle to put the Cats on top first.
Missouri freshman designated hitter Thomas Curry however hit a solo home run in the latter half of the inning, cutting the early deficit in half. Kentucky held a 2-1 lead through the first frame.
Kentucky extends lead in fourth
Nick Lopez opened the top of the fourth inning with a double down the right field line, extending his hit streak to nine games. Lopez’s 10 doubles are tied for 15th most in the country and are second most in the SEC.
Lopez advanced to third on a balk by Missouri RHP Logan Lunceford, putting Mitch Daly in a good spot to drive in his third RBI of the game.
Daly delivered for the Cats, grounding out to second base. Lopez however was able to score, extending Kentucky’s lead back out to two.
Trey Pooser starts in place of Travis Smith
Pooser made the first start of his Wildcat career Friday night in place of redshirt sophomore RHP Travis Smith, who had started Kentucky’s first five Friday night games of the season.
The SEC Network broadcast alluded to an injury for Smith, but nothing has been confirmed.
The righty dominated the ice-cold Missouri offense, holding the Tigers hitless over his last five innings on the mound. In six innings pitched, Pooser allowed just three hits and one earned run while striking out seven batters.
Nick Mingione and Dan Roszel just might have found something with Pooser as their Friday starter as they venture deeper into SEC play.
Self-inflicted wounds give up lead in seventh
Trey Pooser was pulled in the bottom of the seventh after reaching 94 pitches. He was replaced by LHP Jackson Nove, who didn’t quite have the best outing of his career.
After opening the inning with back-to-back outs, Nove gave up back-to-back singles, Missouri’s first hit(s) since the first inning. The lefty walked the bases loaded before he was replaced by RHP Johnny Hummel.
The Cats then gave up their 3-1 lead without giving up a hit, allowing Missouri runners to score on back-to-back wild pitches. Hummel got a big strikeout to get out of the jam, but not before the game was knotted up at three apiece.
Bat Cats hold off Missouri in extras
RHP Johnny Hummel was big for the Cats in relief, striking out six of his 12 batters faced. Hummel’s stellar play gave Kentucky a chance to get another at-bat in the 11th inning.
The Wildcat offense didn’t just deliver, they shut the game down.
Once Nick Lopez did Nick Lopez things and opened the 11th with a leadoff single, Mitch Daly’s big day continued with a double to right center field. Ryan Nicholson was intentionally walked, loading the bases for Nolan McCarthy.
McCarthy was hit by the first pitch of the at-bat, bringing in the go-ahead run for the Cats. He was followed by James McCoy, who lifted an RBI sac-fly into left field deep enough to drive in Waldschmidt from third. Suddenly, Kentucky claimed a two-run lead.
The Cats weren’t done tacking on insurance runs however, as Emilien Pitre looked to notch his first hit of the game. Pitre came through big time, lacing a two-run double to increase Kentucky’s lead to five. A Devin Burkes RBI-groundout drove in the sixth run of the inning, putting the Cats on top 9-3.
RHP Evan Byers relieved Hummel in the bottom of the 11th, giving up just one run but no more. Byers struck out Missouri’s Drew Culbertson to cement the victory.
Game two of the weekend series is scheduled for Saturday at 4:00 p.m. EST.
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