Kentucky Sweeps USC-Upstate to Kick Off 2024 Campaign
Sunday served as a bounce back game for the Wildcat offense, as Kentucky finished off the weekend sweep of USC-Upstate with a 9-3 victory.
A Kentucky lineup consisting of six players making their season debuts combined to score nine runs on 11 hits. The Cats also continued to deliver on Nick Mingione’s preseason promise, swiping five bases.
Western Kentucky grad transfer CF Ty Crittenberger shined, going 3-4 with a home run, 2 RBI, and 2 SB. Freshman Griffin Cameron started the first two games in center over Crittenberger, which he seemed to have taken personally.
Also shining was RHP Mason Moore, who made his first career start on Sunday.
Moore, who became a fan-favorite after a stellar performance in last season’s Lexington Regional, was magnificent against the Spartan lineup.
The right-hander went 5.1 innings, giving up just four hits and two earned runs while striking out four batters. His two earned runs came on a Grant Sherrod two-run home run, who was Moore’s final batter faced.
The Cats start the season 3-0 ahead of their home opener against Morehead State on Feb. 20.
Get-Right Game for Wildcat Offense
After scoring just three runs in Saturday’s 3-0 victory, the Wildcat offense scored three runs before the end of the second inning on Sunday.
Following a Lukas Schramm walk, Texas transfer Mitchell Daly hit a rocket line-drive off the left field wall to score the speedy redshirt freshman all the way from first.
Back at Kentucky Baseball Media Day, head coach Nick Mingione reassured that his style of offense was going nowhere in 2024. “We’ll run the same style of offense [this season]. We’re going to bunt and we’re going to run.”
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This rang true early, as Ty Crittenberger layed down a nice bunt to put runners on the corners. Grant Smith followed up with yet another bunt, which scored Daly from third. Crittenberger then moved to third on a wild pitch, scoring on a Patrick Herrera RBI-single. The Cats led 3-0 through two.
Big Blue Bombs from New Faces
Three Wildcats hit home runs on Sunday, all their first in a Wildcat uniform.
The first came from redshirt freshman RF Lukas Schramm, who hit a no-doubter to left center in the fourth inning to extend Kentucky’s lead to four. He took his time to admire his work, because he knew it was long gone.
Just two innings later, Crittenberger hit a sharp liner that just creeped over the left field wall for his first home run in a Kentucky uniform, driving in two more runs. In three seasons at Western Kentucky, Crittenberger totaled just nine long balls. His career-high for home runs in a season came in 2023 with four. Just one game in, he’s 1/4 of the way there.
The most unexpected home run of the day came in in the eighth inning, courtesy of freshman Ethan Hindle. Hindle, who pinch-hit for Schramm, launched a home run to dead center field in his first career at-bat. Nick Mingione was all smiles as the first year from Delafield, Wisc. rounded the bases for the first time, pushing Kentucky’s lead to seven.
Sweep Numero Uno of the 2024 Season
Grad transfer RHP Cam O’Brien (Campbell), junior transfer RHP Cooper Robinson (UC-Irvine), junior LHP Jackson Nove, and junior RHP Colby Frieda finished things out on the mound for Kentucky.
Frieda entered with two outs in the ninth, striking out Upstate’s Kropf to cement the win.
The Cats now head back to Lexington as they prepare for their home opener. Freshman LHP Ben Cleaver is expected to start.
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