My thoughts on the doubleheader against Auburn.
First the records of the two teams: Kentucky (23-17, 6-12) Auburn (27-14, 10-8)
In the first game Kentucky won 8-7 in an exciting game. The lead changed 10 times, but the BatCats managed to pull off a victory.
[QUOTE] Due to SEC travel policy, the second game was seven innings.[/QUOTE]
The policy is an inning can’t be started after 5pm on Sunday.
[QUOTE]UK was one inning away from winning the series, before Auburn’s heroics in the bottom of the seventh.[/QUOTE]
I think I have mentioned before that Kentucky seems to just give games away at the end.
[QUOTE]UK starter [URL=”http://www.ukathletics.com/sports/m-basebl/mtt/rogers_taylor00.html”][COLOR=#0061aa]Taylor Rogers[/COLOR][/URL] (4-5) turned in a gutty performance on the mound, going 6.2 innings, allowing eight hits and six runs, walking one and striking out five. Rogers tossed five scoreless innings, allowing only a four-run inning in the bottom of the second inning and the decisive runs in the bottom of the seventh. Rogers had his streak of 35 consecutive innings without issuing a walk snapped with a walk in the second inning.
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The starting pitchers are still doing great for Kentucky, of course this can’t be said about the bullpen. 35 consecutive innings without a walk? That is crazy, I wish we had more pitchers like this guy.
[QUOTE]Auburn starter Grant Dayton went 6.1 innings, allowing six hits and five runs, walking one and striking out six. Dayton was relieved by Sean Ray, who threw one pitch and hit a batter, before turning it over to closer Austin Hubbard (4-2), who picked up the win by getting the final two outs in the top of the seventh.[/QUOTE]
When the opposing team’s starting pitcher does equally as great and then their bullpen is strong we will almost always fail. This is reflected by our record, 4th in SEC East and 10th SEC overall.
[QUOTE]Auburn found the scoreboard first in the bottom of the second inning, plating four runs on four hits to take a 4-0 lead. Morris led off the inning with a line drive to right field, with UK’s right fielder, Wright, climbing the fence to bring the ball back in play, with it bouncing out of his glove and going as a triple. Tony Caldwell scored Morris with an RBI groundout and then Casey McElroy lined a single into right field. Wes Gilmer followed and singled up the middle for the catcher, Jenkins. Jenkins got into a ball and rode the wind for his second homer of the year, with the ball carrying over the right-centerfield fence for a three-run homer.
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Well wouldn’t you just like to complain about Wright dropping the ball, or do you praise him for stopping a homer? It seems teams hit all the homers against us. Either when it is when we are making a rally and they crush it or just enlarging their lead.
[QUOTE]UK got on the board in the top of the fourth inning, as Wright drew a walk to lead off and after Glad popped out, Ray peppered the 30-foot wall in left field, for his seventh double of the season and the fifth two bagger of the series. Wiley scored Wright with a sacrifice fly to left-centerfield.
The Wildcats evened up the game with three runs on three hits in the top of the sixth. Wright led off the inning with a first-pitch single ripped into left field. Glad then got hit by a pitch to bring up Ray. Ray crushed the offering from Dayton deep over the right-centerfield fence for his fourth homer of the season and his sixth extra-base hit of the series, evening up the game at 4-4.
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And here is our rally…
[QUOTE]
UK took a one-run lead with a run in the top of the seventh. After [URL=”http://www.ukathletics.com/sports/m-basebl/mtt/burns_andy00.html”][COLOR=#0061aa]Andy Burns[/COLOR][/URL] popped up to leadoff, Bisson belted a double off the 30-foot wall in left field for a double. That ended the game for Dayton, with left-handed pitcher Sean Ray called upon to face Wright. The first pitch Ray tossed hit Wright, ending Ray’s game and bringing in the closer, Hubbard. Bisson and Wright then executed a double steal to put both runners in scoring position for Glad. Glad hung a sacrifice fly into shallow centerfield, giving UK a 5-4 lead.[/QUOTE]
We are winning, we didn’t lose our momentum? Is this really the same BatCats from all season?
[QUOTE]Catcher Ryan Jenkins led off the bottom of the seventh inning with Auburn trailing one run, with a bat-handle single with two strikes in no-man’s land down the right-field line. After a Justin Hargett sacrifice bunt moved pinch runner Creede Simpson to second base, Justin Fradejas delivered the game-tying RBI single, a line-drive knock into right-centerfield, scoring Simpson. After UK starter [URL=”http://www.ukathletics.com/sports/m-basebl/mtt/rogers_taylor00.html”][COLOR=#0061aa]Taylor Rogers[/COLOR][/URL] got Trent Mummey to pop out for the second out, UK turned to submarine right-hander [URL=”http://www.ukathletics.com/sports/m-basebl/mtt/kennedy_nick00.html”][COLOR=#0061aa]Nick Kennedy[/COLOR][/URL] out of the pen. Kennedy induced Brian Fletcher into a ground ball into the hole on the left side of the infield, with UK third baseman [URL=”http://www.ukathletics.com/sports/m-basebl/mtt/burns_andy00.html”][COLOR=#0061aa]Andy Burns[/COLOR][/URL] not having a play on Fletcher at first. Kennedy then got Morris, a left-handed hitter, down to a 0-2 count but the All-American delivered with a base knock right in front of UK’s [URL=”http://www.ukathletics.com/sports/m-basebl/mtt/wright_chad00.html”][COLOR=#0061aa]Chad Wright[/COLOR][/URL] in right field, handing Auburn the walk-off win.
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Well there are our Non-comeback cats…
Kentucky has had trouble all year with not being able to get at least one person out with a player already on base. Errors and being to slow have plagued Kentucky all year, I have a feeling it won’t stop now.
Kentucky travels to No.11 Loserville…I mean Louisville Wednesday at 6PM. Kentucky shut the Cardinals out in the first meeting of the season 5-0. I don’t think they should beat us in any sport all year.
Article: [URL]http://www.ukathletics.com/sports/m-basebl/recaps/042510aab.html[/URL]
