Kentucky drops series finale to Ole Miss, move to 3-6 in SEC play

It was an all-around ugly day at Kentucky Proud Park as Kentucky drops the weekend series against No. 10 Ole Miss with a 10-1 defeat on Sunday. Chase Estep had the only highlight for the Wildcats with a solo home run but otherwise, it was a forgettable day for the Bat ‘Cats.

Pitching dominance wanes in final game of series

Tyler Bosma continues to pump out promising starts in the Sunday role. The Miami (OH) transfer wasn’t as dominant as his last start against Georgia in that series clinching win, but he did more than enough in his limited action to keep Kentucky competitive.

The grad transfer only made it 3.2 innings on Sunday before being yanked. It’s only the second time Bosma hasn’t made it past the fifth inning in six starts as a Wildcat. The other being a 2.2 inning debacle against Arkansas.

Bosma came out of the gates dealing, not allowing a hit until the third inning. He allowed the first two batters in the fourth to get on base, letting TJ McCants bring in Tim Elko with a sac fly to get the first run of the game for either squad. Bosma couldn’t make it through the inning, allowing two walks and an RBI single before being taken out. He ended the day giving up two earned runs, walking five and only fanning a pair.

“He just didn’t have as many pitches in the zone for a strike,” Head coach Nick Mingione said about his starter. “Obviously that led to a handful of walks that he had and maybe some of the pitches I think we’d want back.”

Mason Moore was called on to finish the fourth, doing his job for the moment. The Morehead, KY native was sent back out for the fifth and slipped up. He was only out there for three batters but gave up a solo home run to Tim Elko, his 11th shot of the season.

Each of the next four Wildcat relievers allowed a run, bringing it to the 10-1 final. Tyler Guilfoil and Jackson Nove each allowed a home run in their appearance.

“One thing I’ll give [Ole Miss] a lot of credit for is I thought they used the whole field,” Mingione said. “I thought that worked out well for them today.”

Bats go cold in series finale

Saturday’s nine-run performance might’ve just ended up being a mirage. Starved for any sort of offense against the SEC so far, you wanted to believe that Kentucky was making the turn in the win. Alas, we were fooled once again.

Kentucky’s lone run today came by way of a Chase Estep solo home run to right field in the fifth. It was the ninth of the year for the star third basemen.

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— Kentucky Baseball (@UKBaseball) April 3, 2022

The lack of scoring sure wasn’t due to a lack of chances. The Wildcats were able to get runners on the corners with one out in the first inning. Hunter Jump then ran himself into an out at home after an awkward double steal attempt.

Kentucky was able to put a man in scoring position in three of the remaining eight innings but failed to get a run across each time. The ‘Cats finished 1-12 with runners in scoring position and left 11 men on base in total. In all, they finished with eight hits on the day.

“The bottom line is that we had guys in scoring position and we just didn’t come through with the big hit.” Mingione said.

Before they head off to Texas A&M next weekend for a series with the Aggies, Kentucky has a little rivalry game set up. I will always argue that mid-week games are almost irrelevant once conference play comes around. This time, however, you will not hear me saying that.

We next see the Wildcats on Tuesday for the first of two matchups against in-state rival Louisville this season. The game is set for a 6:30 p.m. start at Kentucky Proud Park and will be broadcast on the SEC Network+.