UK baseball keep pace with Vanderbilt

By Mark Maloney / mmaloney@herald-leader.com

Kentucky did what it had to do Saturday, sweeping Auburn 6-5 and 6-3 at Cliff Hagan Stadium. The first game went 10 innings.

But, in the effort to catch Vanderbilt for the eighth and final spot in the Southeastern Conference Tournament field, UK made no progress. Vandy (31-20, 12-13 SEC) pulled off its second straight win over Georgia, maintaining a 11/2-game lead over UK with four league games remaining.

UK (26-23, 11-15) concludes its three-game series with Auburn (27-24, 8-18) on Sunday, then plays three at Florida next weekend.

But the Cats aren't fretting over Vandy's results.

"You can't," Coach Gary Henderson said. "We've still got a shot, and we just need to do what we can do. As long as you've got a shot, you've got a shot."

Henderson will send freshman right-hander Alex Meyer to the mound Sunday.

The sweep clinched UK's first series victory over Auburn since 2004, and its first at Cliff Hagan Stadium since 1989.

Left-hander Chris Rusin (6-4) won a complete-game six-hitter in the nightcap. He struck out nine, walked three and threw 130 pitches — 89 for strikes. He had a one-hitter through six innings, then gave up two runs in the seventh and another in the eighth. But he also stranded three runners in the seventh and two in the eighth.

"I made a couple mistakes — left the ball up, walked a couple people, hit a guy — and that's what got me in trouble," Rusin said. "I found my rhythm late in the inning and, the ninth inning, I just felt as strong as I did in the first."

Rusin's nine strikeouts raised his career total to 270, one shy of second-place Brian Reed on the Cats' all-time list. Scott Downs leads with 293. Rusin also is among UK's all-time top 10 with eight complete games and 22 victories.

UK scored all of its runs in the first three innings.

Gunner Glad's two-run homer capped a three-run first. Chad Wright and Andy Burns each drove in a second-inning run. Chris Wade led off the third with a homer.

"We had a lot of momentum coming into that (second) game and just started putting runs on the board early, which takes a little bit of stress off our starting pitcher," Glad said.

In Saturday's opener, Braden Kapteyn's bases-loaded single capped a two-run rally in the 10th.

Tied 3-3, UK put runners on first and second with one out in the seventh. On a 2-2 pitch, Burns took a third ball but, thinking it was ball four, began to trot toward first base, Marcus Nidiffer took off for third.

Catcher Tony Caldwell fired to third, but the the ball sailed into left field, and Nidiffer scored.

The 4-3 lead held until the ninth. Starter James Paxton gave way to Logan Darnell, who gave way to Kapteyn with one out and the bases loaded.

Auburn rallied for one in the ninth and took a 5-4 lead in the 10th.

UK tied on Glad's RBI single, then won it when Kapteyn singled down the third-base line.

Paxton gave up four runs and four hits over eight innings, walking three and striking out 12. That marked his seventh game of the season in which he has struck out 10 or more. He faced the minimum of 18 batters over six innings and ended up throwing 122 pitches, 70 for strikes. The decision, though, went to Kapteyn (4-0).