KENTUCKY 3, FLORIDA 2 (10)

Walk-off winners

Bases-loaded walk gives UK series victory over Gators

By Mark Maloney

MMALONEY@HERALD-LEADER.COM

Joseph Rey Au

UK's Keenan Wiley got high-fives from his teammates after scoring on a sacrifice fly in the third inning. Wiley also scored the game-winner in the 10th. Photo by Joseph Rey Au

Walk-off homers or walk-off walks, one is as effective as the other.

Brian Spear's bases-loaded walk in the 10th inning Sunday forced Keenan Wiley home and lifted Kentucky to a 3-2 victory over Florida.

Wiley had half of UK's six hits, including a leadoff bloop double to start the 10th.

"We knew they'd been throwing a lot of fastballs away, and that's really the pitch I was looking for," Wiley said. "And I got it."

The rubber game of a three-game Southeastern Conference series would have ended in a tie had UK not scored in the 10th. League travel curfew for "get-away day" games meant that no inning could begin after 4 p.m. It was 4:05 when Spear took ball four.

A Cliff Hagan Stadium crowd of 2,499 saw UK (30-9, 9-9 SEC) reach the 30-win plateau for a third year in a row, only the second time that has been done. The Cats had a four-year 30-win streak from 1991 through 1994.

A pitchers' duel came down to balls and strikes.

Florida's Tommy Toledo (4-4) couldn't find the zone. The freshman walked three in 21/3 innings of relief.

Four UK pitchers combined to strike out nine and walk one (intentional). Andrew Albers, Brock Baber and Scott Green (4-2) combined for 31/3 innings of no-run, no-hit, no-walk relief.

Starters Stephen Locke of Florida and Greg Dombrowski of UK each gave up two runs over 62/3 innings.

"I just made a commitment today to attack the hitters all day, go right after them, especially the first three innings," said Dombrowski, who threw 69 of his 93 pitches for strikes, including the first eight. "What really helped me today, I threw my off-speed pitches for strikes and went after them, and got a lot of groundball outs (11)."

Dombrowski's only mistake was leaving a changeup up and over the middle in the sixth inning. Matt den Dekker lined a game-tying, two-run homer over the wall near the shortest part of the park -- the 310-foot right-field corner.

Green, a Saturday starter through the first four SEC weekends, came in fully gassed and throwing strikes.

Coach John Cohen said Green was clocked with a 93-to-95 mph fastball and an 85 mph slider in Wednesday's win over Morehead State.

"It doesn't really matter to me -- coming out of the pen or starting," Green said, "I'm just happy to contribute."

Locke, a loser in relief Friday night, struck out eight Wildcats and walked one.

"We just didn't have a very good approach to the plate today," said Cohen, while also acknowledging Locke's excellence. "Thank goodness in the bottom of the 10th we had a pretty good approach."

Collin Cowgill gave UK a 1-0 lead in the first with his 15th homer of the season. That pushed his on-base success in the series to 11-for-11. (He finished 12-for-14.)

"They'd been staying away pretty much all weekend," Cowgill said. "Not really pitching around me, but pitching me pretty tough. A lot of off-speed stuff. (Locke) made a mistake. He left it up a little bit and I got enough barrel on it."

Wiley led off the third with a single. Locke's pickoff move caught Wiley leaning, but the fast Cat beat the relay throw to second for a stolen base.

A wild pitch moved him to third, and Spear's fly to deep center drove Wiley home.

In the 10th, Gators left fielder Avery Barnes -- who had three of his team's seven hits -- made a diving try at Wiley's hit. The ball hit off his glove and caromed to short center, giving Wiley time to slide in safely with a double.

Hustle paid off again on a Cowgill bunt. Catcher Hampton Tignor fired to third, but too late to catch Wiley.

SEC batting leader Sawyer Carroll drew an intentional walk to load the bases.

Spear took a called strike, followed by four straight balls.

"We didn't have a great offensive day," Cohen said. "But to compete in this league, you have to win games 3-2. You can't win every game 9-7 or 11-7 or whatever it is."