Kentucky Baseball Scores 15 Runs, Blanks Wright State in Rubber Match
After splitting the first two games of the three-game series, Kentucky Baseball used an early offensive explosion to bounce back and blank Wright State 15-0 in dominant fashion on Sunday.
Starting on the mound for Wright State was senior LHP Alex Theis, who got shelled in his season debut last week at Hawaii (7 ER). Today’s start was more of the same for him. After scoring just two runs through the first six innings yesterday, the Kentucky offense got started early in this one.
Kentucky Jumps Out Early for First Time in Series
OF James McCoy got things started with a double down the first base line, his third of the season. C Devin Burkes, who entered Sunday’s matchup with a blistering .364 average, stepped up to the plate and roped a 416-foot two-run home run to left field. After belting his second of the season, he is just one home run away from last year’s total. Burkes has been extremely impressive through Kentucky’s first seven games of the season, proving early to be an anchor of the lineup and leader of the infield.
The Kentucky baseball team did not slow down in the second inning. DH Jase Felker got the inning started with an infield single, followed by another single from 3B Reuben Church. These base knocks were Felker and Church’s first hits of the season. Following a Jackson Gray HBP, James McCoy smacked a single through the left side of the infield to score Church and Grant Smith. With one out and runners on second and third, Devin Burkes got the better of Theis once again.
Burkes hit a rocket to left center to score McCoy and Gray, his second XBH of the game. The Cats led 6-0 through two innings.
Zack Lee Continues Early Season Success
Starting on the mound for Kentucky was RHP Zack Lee. Lee gave up only two hits and struck out seven batters in five innings of work in his season debut against Elon last week.
The senior continued right where he left off with another impressive outing on Sunday. Lee went six innings in this one, allowing just three hits and zero runs. The senior right-hander struck out six, pushing his season total to 13. Through the first two weeks of the season, Lee has been Kentucky’s most reliable starter.
In his first 11 innings pitched this season, Lee has struck out 13 batters and allowed just five hits. In Sunday’s victory over Wright State, he tied his win total from all of last season with two. Juniors RHP Ryan Hagenow and LHP Magdiel Cotto provided relief and preserved the shutout.
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Bat ‘Cats Continue Piling on
Kentucky chipped in another run in the third inning thanks to a bases loaded HBP of James McCoy by freshman righty Calvin Mitchell. Wright State’s pitching ran out of gas early.
The Raiders held the Cats scoreless in the fourth. A Reuben Church sacrifice fly scored Jase Felker from third. cashing in on his fifth inning triple. Little by little, Kentucky put this one further and further out of reach. Felker continued his impressive season debut, scoring Émilien Pitre from second on a single to left field in the bottom of the sixth. Felker went 3-4 with an RBI in his first game of the season. Strong start for the senior utility man.
Kentucky Finishes Strong
A nine-run lead in the bottom of the eighth just wasn’t enough for senior Hunter Gilliam. After a frustrating 0-3 start to his day, Gilliam launched a monster 431-foot home run to center field to increase the Wildcat to lead to 11.
With two outs in the bottom of the eighth, Jackson Gray continued to pile on the runs for the Kentucky offense. McCoy roped a double to left center field to score Nolan McCarthy from second. The floodgates remained open when Devin Burkes ripped a three-run double down the third base line for his fifth, sixth, and seventh RBI of the game. Burke’s 7 RBI are a career high.
Cotto sat down the Raiders in order in the top of the ninth to preserve the Kentucky shutout. Wright State used eight pitchers in the loss, a testament to just how dominant the Kentucky offense was on Sunday.
Kentucky improves to 5-2 on the season and welcomes undefeated 8-0 Morehead State to Kentucky Proud Park on Tuesday, February 28th. First pitch is scheduled for 4:00pm EST.
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