LEXINGTON, Ky. — A day after a heroic walk-off homer from Luke Maile, freshman A.J. Reed drove in the game-winning run with a double in the seventh inning and picked up the win on the mound in relief, leading No. 16 Kentucky to its school-record 20th consecutive win to open the season, posting a series-clinching 4-3 win over No. 2 South Carolina, on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon in front of 1,950 at Cliff Hagan Stadium.
Kentucky (20-0, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) won the first SEC series of the year in dramatic fashion, as the Wildcats posted the 4-3 win over the two-time defending NCAA Champion Gamecocks with a two-run, walk-off homer from Maile in the opener on Friday.
After fighting to even the Saturday game in the sixth inning at 3-3, Reed lofted a fly ball double into leftfield, getting assistance from the wind, to score freshman Austin Cousino with the go-ahead run. The Wildcats then used a shutout frame from both Reed and Peterson in the eighth and closer Trevor Gott emerged for his fourth save of the season, striking out two in a perfect ninth inning.
Reed (4-0) picked up the win, his second of the week. Twice in UK’s four games this week, Reed has picked up the win on the mound and driven in the game-winning runs at the plate. He tossed two shutout innings, allowing only two hits and one walk, striking out two.
South Carolina (15-3, 0-2 SEC) preseason All-America right-hander Matt Price (2-1) – one of the top closers in college baseball the last two years and a hero from the USC College World Series titles – took the loss, allowing four runs in 6.1 innings, walking three and striking out five.
The win gives UK a school-record 20 consecutive wins to open the season, eclipsing the previous record for the longest winning streak and the best start to a season. In 2007 and 2008, UK opened with a 19-0 record. UK is the only unbeaten team remaining in college baseball, leading the NCAA with the longest winning streak and the most total wins.
UK’s series win over South Carolina is its first since taking 2-of-3 in a series in Lexington in 2010. The Wildcats will be seeking the first series sweep over the powerhouse Gamecocks since the 2006 SEC Championship season, when UK swept USC in Lexington.
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