UK Baseball Weekend Recap and Looking Ahead
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Image from UK Athletics[/caption]
It was a tough four-game road trip for the Wildcats at USC and 16th ranked UC Santa Barbara. However, the team salvaged a victory knocking off UCSB 12-7 in the series finale to head back to the Bluegrass with a 3-3 overall record. Here’s a game-by-game breakdown of the weekend…
Thursday, February 19, @ USC, L 5-2
Of the three losses, this one hurt the most. Freshman phenom first baseman, Evan White, gave UK an early lead with his first career home run, a solo blast in the third inning. The defense did all it could to suppress the Trojan offense, including two ridiculous catches in left field by Ka’ai Tom (he is my way-too-early team MVP), but the Cats’ starting pitcher, Dustin Beggs, was pulled in the fifth inning after a two-run homer gave USC the lead. The Cats managed to get hits but ultimately left too many runners stranded. Of note, junior center fielder Kyle Barrett tied his career high with three hits in the game and looks to be flourishing in his role as the leadoff man.
Friday, February 20, @ UCSB, L 10-3
Junior righty Kyle Cody did not have his best stuff and the Gauchos jumped all over him early and often. UCSB tallied seven earned runs on six hits in the first three innings as Cody’s second start of the season was short lived. UK turned to its bullpen to stop the bleeding and relievers Matt Snyder, Ryne Combs, and Brad Schaenzer did not allow any runs in five of the remaining six innings. Gaucho starting pitcher Shane Bieber was not overwhelming, allowing nine hits over the course of eight innings, but the Cats could not manufacture runs. Barrett, Tom, and catcher Zach Arnold were responsible for seven of the Cats’ 10 hits.
Saturday, February 21, @ UCSB, L 11-0
The Cats needed to bring their A game in this one, but were ultimately overmatched by UCSB’s All-American starting pitcher Dillon Tate. In seven innings of work Tate allowed just four hits, zero runs, and struck out nine batters. UK’s pitching struggled to keep this one close, as Zack Brown made his first start of the 2015 season. Sophomore second baseman JaVon Shelby and Barrett each had multi-hit games for the Wildcats.
Sunday, February 22, @UCSB, W 12-7
JaVon Shelby led the way for the Cats in the series finale with a career-high four RBI game, including a three-run bomb in the first inning. The fast start continued with UK plating three more runs in the top of the third to gain a 6-0 advantage. Sophomore right fielder Storm Wilson had four hits on the day, a career-high, as the offense never let up and added six more runs in the final six innings. Junior pitcher Dylan Dwyer picked up the win for the Cats, throwing 3.1 solid innings in relief of starter Logan Salow. Zach Strecker, Andrew Nelson, Zach Logue, and Spencer Jack also shared time on the mound to secure the W.
The Road Ahead
The Cats will stay in Lexington for their next 10 games, beginning this weekend as the team plays host to Canisius in a three-game series at Cliff Hagan Stadium. First pitch is slated for 4:00 p.m. ET on Friday, weather permitting. Games versus Murray State, Wright State, UMass, and Cincinnati follow.
[caption id="attachment_174182" align="alignnone" width="178"]
Image from UK Athletics[/caption]
@STHowle
Image from UK Athletics[/caption]
It was a tough four-game road trip for the Wildcats at USC and 16th ranked UC Santa Barbara. However, the team salvaged a victory knocking off UCSB 12-7 in the series finale to head back to the Bluegrass with a 3-3 overall record. Here’s a game-by-game breakdown of the weekend…
Thursday, February 19, @ USC, L 5-2
Of the three losses, this one hurt the most. Freshman phenom first baseman, Evan White, gave UK an early lead with his first career home run, a solo blast in the third inning. The defense did all it could to suppress the Trojan offense, including two ridiculous catches in left field by Ka’ai Tom (he is my way-too-early team MVP), but the Cats’ starting pitcher, Dustin Beggs, was pulled in the fifth inning after a two-run homer gave USC the lead. The Cats managed to get hits but ultimately left too many runners stranded. Of note, junior center fielder Kyle Barrett tied his career high with three hits in the game and looks to be flourishing in his role as the leadoff man.
Friday, February 20, @ UCSB, L 10-3
Junior righty Kyle Cody did not have his best stuff and the Gauchos jumped all over him early and often. UCSB tallied seven earned runs on six hits in the first three innings as Cody’s second start of the season was short lived. UK turned to its bullpen to stop the bleeding and relievers Matt Snyder, Ryne Combs, and Brad Schaenzer did not allow any runs in five of the remaining six innings. Gaucho starting pitcher Shane Bieber was not overwhelming, allowing nine hits over the course of eight innings, but the Cats could not manufacture runs. Barrett, Tom, and catcher Zach Arnold were responsible for seven of the Cats’ 10 hits.
Saturday, February 21, @ UCSB, L 11-0
The Cats needed to bring their A game in this one, but were ultimately overmatched by UCSB’s All-American starting pitcher Dillon Tate. In seven innings of work Tate allowed just four hits, zero runs, and struck out nine batters. UK’s pitching struggled to keep this one close, as Zack Brown made his first start of the 2015 season. Sophomore second baseman JaVon Shelby and Barrett each had multi-hit games for the Wildcats.
Sunday, February 22, @UCSB, W 12-7
JaVon Shelby led the way for the Cats in the series finale with a career-high four RBI game, including a three-run bomb in the first inning. The fast start continued with UK plating three more runs in the top of the third to gain a 6-0 advantage. Sophomore right fielder Storm Wilson had four hits on the day, a career-high, as the offense never let up and added six more runs in the final six innings. Junior pitcher Dylan Dwyer picked up the win for the Cats, throwing 3.1 solid innings in relief of starter Logan Salow. Zach Strecker, Andrew Nelson, Zach Logue, and Spencer Jack also shared time on the mound to secure the W.
The Road Ahead
The Cats will stay in Lexington for their next 10 games, beginning this weekend as the team plays host to Canisius in a three-game series at Cliff Hagan Stadium. First pitch is slated for 4:00 p.m. ET on Friday, weather permitting. Games versus Murray State, Wright State, UMass, and Cincinnati follow.
[caption id="attachment_174182" align="alignnone" width="178"] Image from UK Athletics[/caption]
@STHowle
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