Bats, bullpen lead Kentucky Baseball to mercy-rule win over Bellarmine

“Sometimes baseball can be funny and it can humble you in a second.”

Head coach Nick Mingione put it pretty simply after the Wildcats blew out Bellarmine 11-1 in seven innings at Kentucky Proud Park on Tuesday. The team absolutely needed this type of victory after seeing the lowest of lows during their three-game skid against Texas A&M over the past weekend.

Bats do enough in midweek tuneup

Facing a deficit from the jump, Kentucky plated a couple of runs across in the second frame thanks to some sloppy pitching. Matt Craven, the Bellarmine starter, allowed a couple of walks and plunked a batter with two outs, giving the Wildcats the bases loaded. John Thrasher proceeded to line an infield single past a diving second basemen, driving in a pair.

Hunter Jump and Daniel Harris each doubled to kick off the third inning, bringing in a third Kentucky run. Harris came across to score after a throwing error by the catcher on a stolen base attempt.

Kentucky put up six runs in the fifth to put this one out of reach, highlighted by a three-run shot off the bat of Ryan Ritter.

Don't look now but @RyRit47 is back to hitting the opposite way and just smoked an oppo 🌮 for a 3-run shot!!!! pic.twitter.com/ZSmbT4Tx7c

— Kentucky Baseball (@UKBaseball) April 13, 2022

“I wasn’t expecting to hit a home run, I was just trying to hit the ball hard and in play,” Ritter said after the win. “I had a 3-1 count so I knew I could’ve gotten too big but I know how to stay mature and stay simple. All that hard work and staying true pays off.”

Reuben Church singled in Jake Plastiak during the sixth to enforce the mercy rule. The sophomore posted three RBI on the day as he starts to get more regular playing opportunities.

“Reuben Church continues to give us good at-bat after good at-bat,” Mingione said after the game.

Pitching woes for Cotto continue

Mingione and his staff are committed to making Magdiel Cotto work, one way or another. It’s easy to see why, the South Carolina transfer is a 6-foot-4 flamethrower with incredible potential on the mound. At some point though, tantalizing traits have to turn into results.

After being relegated to the bullpen the past couple of appearances, Cotto was given a chance to regroup himself as a starter with the midweek matchup against the Knights. It didn’t start well and Mingione had to pull him before it got disastrous.

The sophomore couldn’t even make it through two innings, giving up four hits and walking a pair en route to one earned run. It could’ve been many more had Daniel Harper not bailed out Cotto when given the bases loaded.

Needing an opportunity to get some bullpen arms some work, Kentucky used four different pitchers after that, each of them completing a scoreless inning.

Kentucky turns right back around for another road series this weekend, heading up to Columbia, Missouri to take on the Mizzou Tigers (19-11; 3-9). With the opportunities and days dwindling down for this season, Mingione and his team know what is at stake at this point.

“We’ve been in position to win some series and we haven’t, now it’s time to just go and do it.”

First pitch on Thursday is set for 8:00 p.m. EST with the game being shown on ESPNU.