LSU Evens Series Thanks to a Late Inside-the-Park Homer

[caption id="attachment_176391" align="aligncenter" width="228"] Dustin Beggs pitched a solid game, but the Cats could not hang on (Photo from UK Athletics)[/caption] Kentucky (17-10, 3-5 SEC) had a chance to clinch its second series in conference play Saturday night in front of 11,516 rowdy LSU fans, but a late rally allowed the Tigers to prevail 7-3. UK starter Dustin Beggs (3-2) kept the Cats in the game, working seven innings in a duel with LSU ace Alex Lange. Beggs allowed two runs on seven hits, striking out five batters with no walks. LSU opened the scoring in the bottom of the fourth when first baseman Chris Chinea drove in Kade Scivicque on a sacrifice fly to right center. Kentucky answered with a run in the sixth when a Marcus Carson single scored Storm Wilson from second base. Trailing 2-1 in the eighth inning, the Cats tied it up on a tw0-out hit by Greg Fettes that scored Dorian Hairston. But then the unthinkable happened, as Kyle Barrett could not make a tough diving catch on a Scivicque liner to centerfield with two runners on base. The ball rolled all the way to the wall and was initially ruled a ground-rule double but, after some discussion, the umpires reversed the call to an inside-the-park three-run homer. Later in the eighth, Jared Foster homered to left to extend the lead to 7-2. UK gained one run back in the ninth after JaVon Shelby drove in Barrett on an RBI double. Although the outcome was not ideal, UK's offense was pretty impressive in collecting 11 hits on the evening. Barrett and Carson led the way, each boasting three-hit performances. The series finale is underway at Alex Box Stadium. Stay tuned for the story after the game. https://twitter.com/UKBaseball/status/582014011304243202 @STHowle