Mason Hazelwood returns for Kentucky as 'Cats get back in win column
The Bat ‘Cats made up for Tuesday’s shocking loss to Western Kentucky with a 5-4 victory over Evansville at Kentucky Proud Park on Wednesday afternoon. Mason Hazelwood made his long-awaited return as Kentucky looks ahead to an important weekend against No. 16 TCU.
Bats save the ‘Cats once again
Kentucky’s offense led the charge once again to get back into the win column. UK scored in the first four innings. Ryan Ritter led the way with a 2-4 line with an RBI, stolen base and a run scored.
Ritter led off the game with a single and subsequently moved over to third after Chase Estep reached on an error by the Evansville shortstop. The Chicago native scored by way of a Hunter Jump sac-fly to deep left field.
Going into the second with a two-run deficit, Alonzo Rubalcaba helped bring the ‘Cats back. The catcher sent a two-run shot to the back of the left-field bullpen to tie the game up at three. It was his second shot in as many weeks and his career. If Rubalcaba can bring some occasional pop consistently throughout the year, his value increases wildly.
In the following frame, Chase Estep led off with a stand-up double. Jake Plastiak followed suit by lining an RBI double in between the right-center field gap. It was the ninth RBI in as many games for the senior, who’s now batting .436 on the year.
“There’s different types of leaders. A leader is someone who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way,” Nick Mingione said postgame about Plastiak so far this season. “You gotta have a certain skill level, and he’s got it.”
Kentucky took the lead back in the fifth thanks to some lineup manipulation. Mingione has been batting John Thrasher, a preseason All-American, in the ninth spot all season due to his mixture of plate discipline and speed. It worked perfectly on Wednesday.
After reaching base by way of a walk, Thrasher moved over to second on a passed ball. Ritter drove him home with an RBI single through the left side of the infield, making it 5-4 at the time and the eventual final score.
Bullpen day works in the end
Given the workload Mingione has given his top guys so far, the head coach decided to use today as a bullpen day. It didn’t go quite as smoothly as Kentucky would have necessarily liked at first, but it did settle down eventually.
Wyatt Hudepohl got the start today and was shaky, to say the least. Evansville led off the second with a couple of singles. One most likely would’ve resulted in a double play had the shift not been implemented. That brought up Tanner Craig, who roped a line-drive, three-run home run over the left-field fence.
The sophomore pitcher induced a double play, but allowed Evansville to bring home their fourth run in three innings. Hudepohl was taken out before completing the frame and was followed by Mason Hazelwood. The Salvisa, Kentucky native was a bit emotional making his first appearance since March 27.
“Anytime you go through a major injury, that first time again out there is a big deal,” Mingione said about Hazelwood’s mentality coming back from injury. “I said all along how much this team cares about each other and just their reaction was so much fun to watch… just so happy for him.”
Although it was only one out, Hazelwood looked comfortable and back to his usual self out on the mound. Known as a great teammate, Hazelwood was mobbed by his fellow Wildcats walking back to the dugout.
“I was just excited to be back out there, the team was a big support for me. I couldn’t help but smile on the mound,” Hazelwood said after the game. “You can call me silly, but it was goosebumps… I had goosebumps coming off the mound.”
Mason Moore followed him with 2.1 innings of scoreless ball in an impressive performance. The combination of Jackson Nove, Tyler Guilfoil and Darren Williams helped close the game down.
The Wildcats are back out this weekend for a series against TCU. The Horned Frogs may or may not be a top-10 team, depending on which database you use. Either way, it’s a vital series for Kentucky to prove they’re different and competitive this year. First pitch on Friday is set for 4 p.m. EST and will be broadcasted on the SEC Network+.
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