Brown Leads Kentucky in Win Over #5 Florida
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Zack Brown set the tempo for another exciting series. (Photo by UK Athletics)[/caption]
Zack Brown dominated once again, and Kentucky opened a three-game series with a 3-0 win against #5 Florida. The shutout victory was Kentucky's fifth straight win, giving the Cats a 24-16 (9-9) record on the season. Brown, backed by Dorian Hairston's two RBIs, pitched seven shutout innings to earn his fourth win on the year.
Facing off against the leaders in the SEC East, Kentucky grabbed the lead early. JaVon Shelby led the second inning off with a triple, and Dorian Hairston drove him in on an RBI groundout to give UK a 1-0 lead. Kyle Barrett and Evan White hit singles with two outs in the third to put runners on for Ka'ai Tom. With an RBI single to left, Tom gave Kentucky a 2-0 lead in the third.
As Brown finished up his start on the mound, Kentucky's offense gave their bullpen some insurance. Hairston collected his second RBI on the day with an eighth inning single to score White. All three of Kentucky's runs were allowed by Florida starter Logan Shore.
Brown kept the Gators' offense at bay by firing seven shutout innings and striking out six. Following Brown's incredible start, Kentucky turned to Zach Strecker in the eighth inning. With a 3-0 lead, Strecker sat down the Gators in the eighth and sent the Cats to ninth.
Three outs away from a win in the Swamp, things got a bit interesting. Strecker retired the first two batters of the ninth before walking Jeremy Vasquez. Gary Henderson went back to his bullpen to bring in closer Spencer Jack. Henderson would be forced to make yet another pitching change when Jack walked the only batter he faced. Logan Salow emerged from the bullpen and struck out Taylor Lane to end the game.
Brown has propelled himself into the category of top weekend starters in the SEC. Following 7.1 shutout innings against Tennessee last week, Brown fired seven shutout innings against Florida. The sophomore struck out six and allowed only five hits against one of the top hitting teams in the nation. The dominant start lowered Brown's ERA on the season to 2.81 in 11 games and a team-leading 67.1 innings. Brown has a scoreless streak of 15.1 innings over his last three games.
https://twitter.com/UKBaseball/status/591799990047113216
Combining with Brown, the Kentucky bullpen helped to shut down one of the best offensive attacks in the nation. Player of the Year candidates Harrison Bader and JJ Schwarz combined to go one-for-seven at the plate with three strikeouts. The Gators left ten men on base and struck out nine times.
The Cats and Gators will continue their series tomorrow night at 7 p.m and Sunday at 12:30 p.m. Catch both games on SEC Network+ and follow our recaps here.
@TreyHuntsmanKSR
Zack Brown set the tempo for another exciting series. (Photo by UK Athletics)[/caption]
Zack Brown dominated once again, and Kentucky opened a three-game series with a 3-0 win against #5 Florida. The shutout victory was Kentucky's fifth straight win, giving the Cats a 24-16 (9-9) record on the season. Brown, backed by Dorian Hairston's two RBIs, pitched seven shutout innings to earn his fourth win on the year.
Facing off against the leaders in the SEC East, Kentucky grabbed the lead early. JaVon Shelby led the second inning off with a triple, and Dorian Hairston drove him in on an RBI groundout to give UK a 1-0 lead. Kyle Barrett and Evan White hit singles with two outs in the third to put runners on for Ka'ai Tom. With an RBI single to left, Tom gave Kentucky a 2-0 lead in the third.
As Brown finished up his start on the mound, Kentucky's offense gave their bullpen some insurance. Hairston collected his second RBI on the day with an eighth inning single to score White. All three of Kentucky's runs were allowed by Florida starter Logan Shore.
Brown kept the Gators' offense at bay by firing seven shutout innings and striking out six. Following Brown's incredible start, Kentucky turned to Zach Strecker in the eighth inning. With a 3-0 lead, Strecker sat down the Gators in the eighth and sent the Cats to ninth.
Three outs away from a win in the Swamp, things got a bit interesting. Strecker retired the first two batters of the ninth before walking Jeremy Vasquez. Gary Henderson went back to his bullpen to bring in closer Spencer Jack. Henderson would be forced to make yet another pitching change when Jack walked the only batter he faced. Logan Salow emerged from the bullpen and struck out Taylor Lane to end the game.
Brown has propelled himself into the category of top weekend starters in the SEC. Following 7.1 shutout innings against Tennessee last week, Brown fired seven shutout innings against Florida. The sophomore struck out six and allowed only five hits against one of the top hitting teams in the nation. The dominant start lowered Brown's ERA on the season to 2.81 in 11 games and a team-leading 67.1 innings. Brown has a scoreless streak of 15.1 innings over his last three games.
https://twitter.com/UKBaseball/status/591799990047113216
Combining with Brown, the Kentucky bullpen helped to shut down one of the best offensive attacks in the nation. Player of the Year candidates Harrison Bader and JJ Schwarz combined to go one-for-seven at the plate with three strikeouts. The Gators left ten men on base and struck out nine times.
The Cats and Gators will continue their series tomorrow night at 7 p.m and Sunday at 12:30 p.m. Catch both games on SEC Network+ and follow our recaps here.
@TreyHuntsmanKSR
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