Despite offensive efforts, Bat Cats fall to Florida, 12-8
The Cats fell behind early and, despite a late-game effort, couldn't get it done in Gainesville against the Florida Gators. Kentucky lost the game 12-8, now falling to an even 22-22 on the season and 5-16 in the conference.
A two-run home run by Nelson Maldonado for the Gators followed by four scores in the second inning put the Cats down early, but UK didn't go down without a fight. Kentucky tied the game at eight after a four-run fifth inning, but pitching miscues led to walks and hits at inopportune times, and the Gators were able to pull away throughout the back-half of the rubber match.
With eight runs, offense was hardly the problem in today's game. In fact, the Cats scored eight runs in two of the three games against the Gators this series, yet they lost both times. During the fifth inning of Sunday's matchup, Florida's Jacob Young was hit by a pitch with two strikes already on the board, eventually leading to two scores for Florida. In the next inning, a different Gator was hit by a pitch and another one walked. Both moved up on errant pickoff throw.
Kentucky has scored in 108 consecutive games, good for the second-longest offensive streak in school history. And yet their record shows a serious struggle, especially in the SEC - with today's loss, the Wildcats move behind South Carolina in the SEC East and behind Alabama in the overall conference standings.
The Cats will take a few days off for final exams, but they'll return to action Friday, May 3. They'll play Arkansas at home - first pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. and can be seen on the SEC Network+.
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