Kentucky Holds Off Lipscomb in Series Opener
In what was a wet and dreary game, Kentucky held off Lipscomb 7-4 to take the series opener at Kentucky Proud Park.
The Wildcat offense sprung back to life on Friday, totaling seven runs on 10 hits. Their team batting average jumped up six points, from .243 to .249. Devin Burkes led the way at the plate, going 3-4 with three singles and three RBI.
All four Lipscomb runs were charged to RHP Travis Smith, as the Kentucky bullpen were dominant in relief. RHP Cam O’Brien, RHP Trey Pooser, and LHP Jackson Nove combined to pitch the final 5.1 innings, giving up just one hit and no earned runs. Nove struck out five of his six batters faced.
The Wildcat bullpen has not allowed a run in 12 consecutive innings.
With the win, Kentucky improved to 8-1 on the season.
Cats and Bisons trade punches early
Lipscomb took an early 1-0 lead on an RBI sac-fly in the top of the first, but the Cats responded quickly in the latter half of the inning.
Kentucky loaded the bases with just one out on a walk and back-to-back singles from Patrick Herrera and Nick Lopez, setting up Devin Burkes nicely. Burkes delivered with a single through the right field side, driving in Kentucky’s first run of the game.
“Mingione Ball” then reared its head, as Mitchell Daly perfectly executed a squeeze play down the third base line to score Burkes from third.
“That’s one of my favorite ways to score a big inning; bunting and walks,” Mingione said back at Media Day. Kentucky led 2-1 through one.
Kentucky pads lead in third, but Lipscomb responds
The Cats went down in order in the second inning, but tacked on two more runs to their lead in the third.
Patrick Herrera led off the third with a double, setting up Devin Burkes with yet another RBI opportunity. Burkes delivered again, singling to right field to drive in Herrera from third.
Mitchell Daly then knocked Kentucky’s second double of the inning, moving Burkes over to third. With runners on second and third, Mingione called for yet another squeeze play. Freshman Griffin Cameron executed the bunt to perfection, scoring Burkes from third to increase Kentucky’s lead to three.
Four runs on two singles and two bunts for Mingione’s club.
“I told my team, there are six components to offense, and bunting is one of them,” Mingione said. “When we’re at our best, that is part of our game. Do we have to use it all the time, no. But what a day. Rain, conditions, weather. What a day to do it, and I give our guys credit. They were able to execute.”
The Bisons however responded in the top of the fourth, tying the game on a Mason Lundgrin two-run home run and a Noah Boughton RBI-single.
Travis Smith continues to struggle
Redshirt sophomore RHP Travis Smith made his third start of the season Friday against Lipscomb and continued to struggle.
Smith, who was Kentucky’s midweek starter in 2023, hasn’t quite found success as Kentucky’s Friday starter so far.
Smith went 3.2 innings, giving up five hits, four earned runs, and three walks while striking out just four batters. His ERA rose from 5.00 to 6.39, and he’s totaled the same amount of walks as strikeouts this season.
“I think every outing has been something a little different, but today his pitch count in one inning was just too much,” Mingione said about Smith. “The extended innings have gotten hard on him.With it being early in the season, we just don’t want to continue running him out there to protect him because it’s a long season.”
Wildcats pull ahead in sixth inning
Tied 4-4 through six, Ryan Waldschmidt put Kentucky ahead for good.
After James McCoy led off the inning with a walk a steal of second, Waldschmidt ripped a go-ahead RBI-double to score McCoy. Waldschmidt, who is returning from an ACL tear over the summer, looks ready to return to the field any day now.
The Cats totaled two more runs in the coming innings, thanks to a Devin Burkes RBI-single (his third of the game) and a score on a passed ball.
“Just competing for my team,” Burkes said postgame. “It’ just what I try and do day in day out.”
Daly and Berg get chippy
The eighth inning was highlighted by peak college baseball at its finest.
Ty Crittenberger hit a chopper down the first base line, which the Lipscomb pitcher Ryan Kutz fielded. Mitch Daly attempted to score and slid home, but was hit in the head by the glove of Lipscomb’s catcher Jake Berg. The ball was fair, but the umpire called the play dead, taking a run off the board from the Cats.
Daly took offense to the swipe at his head and began exchanging words with Kutz. After review, Berg’s swipe at the head of Daly was deemed “malicious” and he was ejected, deeming him ineligible for Saturday’s game.
“I was putting on my gear, so I actually had to watch it on the replay,” Burkes said about the wild sequence. “I was a little bit frustrated once I had seen it but it’s alright. They handled it and did a good job on that. That’s what they were supposed to do.”
Bullpen slams door on Bisons
LHP Jackson Nove took over on the mound in the eighth, striking out five of his six batters faced to cement the series opening victory. Nick Mingione spoke highly of the bullpen postgame.
“We thought we had depth, but we didn’t know how many guys it was gonna take,” Mingione said. “I thought [Trey] Pooser was fantastic, and so was Jackson Nove. He was absolutely phenomenal. Even after the long inning, that was a long eighth inning. He then came out in the ninth and was just magnificent.”
Game two of the weekend series will begin Saturday at 1:00 p.m.
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