Kentucky falls to South Carolina 6-5 in extra-innings
No. 4 Kentucky blew a three-run ninth inning lead Friday night, falling to No. 20 South Carolina 6-5 in 10 innings. The Cats are now 1-1 in extra-inning games this season.
Kentucky right-hander Trey Pooser dominated the Gamecock lineup, allowing just one earned run while striking out a season-high 11 batters in seven innings pitched.
No team notched a hit from the fourth to the ninth inning, until Grant Smith opened the ninth with a single. Kentucky scored three runs in the top of the ninth to take a 4-1 lead, but South Carolina responded with three solo home runs in the bottom of the ninth to send the game to extra innings.
An RBI-single from Nick Lopez in the 10th gave Kentucky a 5-4 lead, but Carolina’s Blake Jackson belted a walk-off two-run home run (his second of the game) in the bottom of the 10th give the ‘Cocks an improbable 6-5 victory.
Kentucky falls to 32-8 (15-4), as its lead over Tennessee in the SEC East shrinks to 1.5 games.
Players of the Game:
- RHP Trey Pooser: Pooser pitched seven innings, striking out a season-high 11 batters.
- LF Ryan Waldschmidt: Waldschmidt went 2-4 at the plate with a solo home run, extending his hit streak to 11 games and his multi-hit game streak to seven games.
- DH Nick Lopez: Lopez’s go-ahead RBI-single in the 10th inning gave the Cats a lead, which they were unable to hold on to.
Waldy bomb scratches across first Wildcat run
The Cats and ‘Cocks were scoreless through the first two innings, until the red-hot Ryan Waldschmidt brought in the first run of the game.
Waldschmidt opened the game with a single, which extended his hit streak to 11 games. In his second at-bat however, the left fielder extended his multi-hit game streak to seven games with his ninth home run of the season.
On a 2-0 count, Waldschmidt belted an absolute moon-shot down the left field line to put the Cats ahead. He even took some time to admire his work, as he knew immediately that the ball was leaving the yard.
Carolina however knotted the game at one on a Kennedy Jones RBI-single in the latter half inning, knotting the game at one through three innings.
Trey Pooser pitches a gem
Fifth year right-handed pitcher Trey Pooser made his sixth start for Kentucky and delivered one of the best starts in all of the SEC this season.
Pooser pitched seven innings for the Cats, allowing just one earned run while striking out a season-high 11 batters. Pooser’s 114 pitches thrown were also a season-high.
South Carolina’s combo of right-handers Roman Kimball and Ty Good dominated as well however, allowing just three hits over eight innings. Two of Kentucky’s three hits belonged to Ryan Waldschmidt.
Friday night’s game was the epitome of a pitcher’s duel, as both teams notched just a combined seven hits through eighth innings. The Cats and ‘Cocks also went hitless from the bottom of the fourth until the top of the ninth, when a Grant Smith single broke the hitless streak.
Cats pull ahead in ninth
Following Grant Smith’s leadoff single in the ninth, Nick Lopez was walked and Mitch Daly reached on an error to load the bases.
Ryan Nicholson, who has been Kentucky’s second hottest hitter after Ryan Waldschmidt, stepped up to bat with a chance to give the Cats an improbable late-inning lead.
Nicholson shot a hard ground ball through the left side, scoring Smith and Lopez to give Kentucky its first lead since the third inning.
Patrick Herrera, who pinch-hit for James McCoy in the eighth inning, tacked on the fourth run of the game for the Cats via an RBI sac-bunt. Suddenly, Kentucky clung onto an improbable 4-1 lead in Columbia.
Gamecocks tie game with three home runs
Kentucky’s 4-1 lead didn’t last long however, as closer Johnny Hummel experienced his worst outing of the season.
Hummel gave up three solo home runs to Carolina’s Blake Jackson, Dalton Reeves, and Gavin Casas, which tied the game for the Gamecocks. Casas’ game-tying home run was a moonshot, similar to Waldschmidt’s in the third inning.
Hummel’s ERA jumped from 1.85 to 2.45 after facing just four batters, as he blew his first save of the season.
Right-hander Cam O’Brien, who maybe should have entered after the second home run, came on to force extra innings, just Kentucky’s second extra-inning game of the season.
Carolina walks it off via the longball
With all the momentum in the direction of the Gamecocks, the Cats didn’t waiver.
Ryan Waldschmidt drew a walk to open the inning and eventually stole second on a gutsy call by Nick Mingione. He reached third on an Émilien Pitre fly-out, putting the go-ahead runner 90 feet away with two outs.
The man with the best mustache in baseball then delivered, as Nick Lopez roped a clutch RBI-single to right field to score Waldschmidt from third, giving the Cats a 5-4 lead.
Just as it looked like the Cats were on the verge of pulling off another improbable victory, disaster struck.
Left-hander Evan Byers took over for the Cats with one out in the 10th and threw just two pitches. The second pitch was belted over the left field wall by Carolina’s Blake Jackson to give the Gamecocks a walk-off victory. It was his second home run of the game.
He entered Friday night with just three on the season.
Friday night marked a brutal loss for the Bat Cats, who must finish the weekend with two victories to stay within reach of a top-eight seed in the NCAA Tournament.
What’s next for No. 4 Kentucky?
The Cats and Gamecocks will clash in game two of the weekend series on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. EST. The game will be broadcasted on SEC Network.
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