Bat 'Cats Strike Down Miss. State 17-3, Earn Third Straight Series Sweep
The College Baseball world has officially been put on notice.
With a 17-3 drumming of the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Sunday afternoon, Kentucky has won its 14th game in a row and notched its third straight series sweep. Sunday’s 17-run outing was the fourth time in the last five games that the Bat ‘Cats have scored 10-plus runs. Kentucky’s sweep over Mississippi State is the program’s first SEC opening series sweep since 2017.
The duo of Jackson Gray and Grant Smith led the way for the Wildcats’ offense on Sunday. The pair of seniors combined for six hits in nine at-bats. Gray especially had himself a game, finishing with three RBI and a home run shy of the cycle.
The ‘Cats continue its love affair with the longball, as Hunter Gilliam, Ryan Waldschmidt, and Reuben Church all went yard. After struggling offensively to start the season, the Wildcats have been on a heater as of late. Over the last six games, Kentucky has scored a combined 68 runs, good for around 11.3 runs per outing. That’ll win some games for sure.
Along with the offensive onslaught, the Kentucky pitching staff continued its impressive stretch of play as well. Opposing teams haven’t scored more than five runs over the last nine games, all wins for the Wildcats. Senior RHP Zack Lee got the start on the mound for the ‘Cats on Sunday and continued his stretch of good run support.
The Kentucky offense has scored 15 or more runs in three of Lee’s five starts this season, taking a ton of pressure off the senior. Lee pitched 3.1 innings in the final game of the series against the Bulldogs, allowing five hits and two earned runs. Once he exited in the fourth, the bullpen continued to be one of the most impressive in the SEC. The trio of Ryder Giles, Austin Strickland, and Zach Hise combined for 3.2 innings pitched, allowing just two hits and no earned runs.
Things are clicking on all cylinders for head coach Nick Mingione’s squad right now.
Kentucky Gifted Four Early Runs
With runners on first and second to start the game, Zack Lee struck out Connor Hujsak to prevent any early Mississippi State scoring. After failing to capitalize, the Bulldogs once again fell into an early hole thanks to a Kentucky run outburst. Jackson Gray got his day started quickly with a single, his first of four hits on the afternoon.
After allowing a hit to the first batter of the afternoon, Mississippi State’s Yntema failed to reel it in. Yntema walked Jase Felker and Devin Burkes to load the bases, then walked Émilien Pitre to score Gray from third easily. Four batters into the game, Yntema was replaced by Siary. This move didn’t help MSU’s early struggles, however.
Siary walked Hunter Gilliam, which allowed Kentucky to score its second run of the inning due to a bases-loaded walk. Ryan Waldschmidt then reached on a fielder’s choice after the Bulldogs’ third basemen sailed the throw into center field. Gilliam advanced to third and Pitre and Burkes scored easily. Kentucky led 4-0 early thanks to Mississippi State miscues.
Bulldogs Respond
Down 4-0 after one, the Bulldog offense began to crawl their way back into this one. Kellum Clark led off the top of the second with a triple and eventually scored on a passed ball. Mississippi State plated two more runs in the following inning thanks to a two-run homer by the red-hot Clark. Clark accounted for all three Bulldog runs in this one.
After Kentucky’s four-run lead was cut to one, Reuben Church started a stretch of 13 unanswered runs for the Wildcat offense. The junior led the bottom of the fourth inning off with a solo home run, his first of the season. Kentucky continued to build on its lead in the bottom of the fifth inning.
After Ryan Waldschmidt led off with his first triple of the season, he scored on a wild pitch from Mississippi State’s Holcombe. James McCoy walked and Grant Smith reached on an infield single, putting runners on first and third for the ‘Cats. Jackson Gray continued his big game, roping a triple down the right-field line to score both Smith and McCoy. Gray scored on another Mississippi State wild pitch, and the Wildcats took a 9-3 lead through five.
Wildcats Slam the Door to Win 14th Straight
After scoring nine runs through five innings, the Wildcats nearly doubled that in the bottom of the sixth.
The Bat ‘Cats accounted for five XBH in the inning. Hunter Gilliam got the party started with a single and quickly found himself crossing home thanks to a Ryan Waldschmidt home run to left center, his second of the season. James McCoy stayed hot, doubling down the right-field line.
After advancing to third on a wild pitch, McCoy scored on another Wildcat double, this time by Reuben Church. The small ball tactics continue to pay off for the SEC’s most efficient bunting team, as Grant Smith reached on a bunt. Jackson Gray roped Kentucky’s third double of the inning, scoring pinch runner Patrick Herrera.
The ‘Cats plated another run thanks to a Jase Felker groundout to second, which scored Smith from third. Émilien Pitre notched his second RBI of the game, slapping a single up the middle to score Gray. Hunter Gilliam put the nail in the Bulldogs’ coffin as he sailed a home run to right field, scoring two more runs and pushing the lead to 14.
Mississippi State went down 1-2-3 in the seventh, mercilessly ending this one for the Diamond ‘Dawgs. Don’t look now, but the Kentucky baseball program may be ranked in D1Baseball’s next Top 25.
The Bat ‘Cats will be back in action on Tuesday when they welcome Eastern Kentucky to Kentucky Proud Park. That one is slated to start at 6:30 p.m. EST. With a win, Kentucky will push its win streak to an impressive 15 games.
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