CONWAY, S.C. — Pre- season All-American second baseman Chris Bisson went 4-for-5 with a walk, two doubles and a stolen base and right-hander Alex Meyer struck out eight in five innings to help Kentucky post a 15-6 win over Virginia Tech in its season opener Friday.
"We feel great about getting the first win," UK Coach Gary Henderson said. "It is hard to put it into words. You practice for five weeks, feel like you are ready about two weeks ago, then you get an opportunity to play. It is a huge win for us."
The Wildcats got an outstanding season-opening performance from Meyer (1-0), a sophomore right-hander who is rated as one of the top prospects in college baseball. A 6-foot-9, 220-pounder, Meyer fanned eight in five innings, allowing just two earned runs and three walks. Meyer recorded five of his first six outs by strikeout.
UK then turned to freshman right-hander Sam Kidd, who allowed three runs in 22⁄3 innings. Junior Matt Little closed out the victory, going 11⁄3 perfect innings.
"I was really pleased that Alex Meyer got better as we went along," Henderson said. "He grew up. Certainly not an efficient outing, with three walks over five innings, but not poor by any stretch. He was very competitive."
UK got two home runs in the game, one from senior Keenan Wiley in his first at-bat of the season and another on a two-run shot from sophomore third baseman Andy Burns.
Senior right-fielder Gunner Glad added a game-high three RBI, scoring two runs with a double on a 2-for-5 day. Junior shortstop Taylor Black added a 2-for-5 day with his first double as a Wildcat. Sophomore first baseman Braden Kapteyn extended his team-high and career-best hitting streak to 10 games, after a 1-for-5 outing.
Kentucky returns to action Saturday to face West Virginia at noon. Fans can hear the game in Lexington on WGVN-AM 1580 and online at UKathletics.com.
Softball takes two
BOCA RATON, Fla. — The UK softball team notched a pair of victories to begin the Kickoff Classic hosted by Florida Atlantic on Friday evening. The Cats (5-2) claimed a 1-0 victory over Maryland in the opener and then a 2-1 eight-inning win over Florida Atlantic in the nightcap.
Sophomore pitcher Rachel Riley earned her second victory of the season with a complete game shutout in Friday's opener. Junior Samantha DeMartine knocked in the only run of the game with a one-out single along the right-field line in the sixth inning to bring in senior Natalie Smith, who went 3-for-3 at the plate.
Senior Amber Matousek earned her first win of the season and matched a career-high with 10 strikeouts in the second game. Molly Johnson delivered the game-winning RBI single in the top of the eighth inning.
Gymnastics tops Ohio State
The No. 12 UK gymnastics team swept all four events and won the individual all-around title against Ohio State with a 195.850-193.975 victory Friday at Memorial Coliseum.
UK (4-5) registered its best overall team score of the season with strong performances on the uneven bars and floor exercise.
Sophomore Story Morris and Jamie Reinmann led the effort in the uneven bars, sharing title honors with matching 9.850 scores. UK's Whitney Rose tied a career-high with a 9.825 to join teammate Andrea Mitchell in third place.
