Kentucky baseball makes statement with series win over national power
The Kentucky baseball team continues to impress during its nonconference schedule.
The Wildcats claimed their biggest wins of the season to date this weekend, winning two of its three games against national college baseball power TCU at Kentucky Proud Park in Lexington.
UK is now 10-2 overall this season, but after stockpiling wins against lesser opponents from smaller conferences, the wins over the Horned Frogs, ranked 18th by Collegiate Baseball and 14th in the USA Today Coaches Poll, were statement performances by Nick Mingione’s team.
Here’s a look at how the Wildcats took advantage of their opportunities this weekend to record an impressive series win that could pay off on UK’s NCAA Tournament résumé.
Friday: UK wins 13-11
A hallmark of this Kentucky baseball season so far has been close games, which have oftentimes been close wins.
That held true during Friday’s opening game against TCU, as the Wildcats improved their record to 5-1 this season in games decided by two runs or fewer.
UK twice trailed to TCU, 3-0 in the first inning and 8-7 in the fifth, but each time the Wildcats immediately answered in the bottom half of the innings to take the lead.
The deciding runs were scored in the eighth inning, as fifth-year infielder Daniel Harris IV scampered home on a fielder’s choice ground ball hit by senior catcher Alonzo Rubalcaba. Harris was able to score despite battling an ankle injury.
What was most impressive in this series-opening game was the way the Cats were able to hit TCU junior starting pitcher Austin Krob, who hadn’t allowed a run and had only surrendered six hits in his two previous starts this season.
Krob allowed seven runs and seven hits in just two innings against UK.
Among the usual UK offensive leaders in this game was a new face to UK fans — freshman outfielder Nolan McCarthy — who went 3-for-4 with a run and two RBI.
UK’s bullpen again did its job late as well to keep the Horned Frogs at bay.
Fifth-year pitcher Sean Harney got the win for UK after tossing four inning of relief work, keeping TCU off the scoreboard for the final three.
Saturday (Game 1): UK wins 5-1
With wet weather forecast in Lexington for Sunday, the final games of the weekend series were played as a doubleheader on Saturday.
The first game went to UK, and with it the series win.
Kentucky never trailed in the game, which was highlighted by a three-run home run by junior infielder Chase Estep.
Tyler Bosma got the win for the Cats after going five innings for the third consecutive start this season.
Saturday (Game 2): TCU wins 12-8
UK nearly pulled off a comeback in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader to secure a series sweep over TCU, but a late rally fell short.
Kentucky fell into a 3-0 hole in the first inning, and the deficit was 7-0 as late as the seventh before the UK bats came to life.
A six-run seventh inning, highlighted by a grand slam by senior first baseman Jake Plastiak, brought UK to within one run, but that’s as close as the Wildcats would get.
The beat went on for Plastiak though, as the senior now has a hit in 11 of UK’s 12 games this season.
Plastiak had a 10-game hitting streak entering play on Saturday, but didn’t record a hit in the first game of the day.
Up next
There are five games left in this current 14-game home stand for UK. The Cats host in-state foe Murray State at 4 p.m. Tuesday and Ohio at 4 p.m. Wednesday before a three-game weekend series against High Point.
After this final run of mid-major opponents, UK will travel for a rivalry road game at Indiana on March 15 before opening Southeastern Conference play with a series at Arkansas from March 18 through March 20.
Arkansas won both the SEC regular season and SEC Tournament titles last season.
