The No. 6 Kentucky baseball team knocked off No. 9 Auburn 13-3 Sunday evening to earn a 2-1 series win over the Tigers.
Here are details from UK:
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Kentucky baseball team closed out three straight weekends against top 10 opponents by splitting a Sunday doubleheader against No. 9 Auburn, giving them a series victory with the nightcap’s 13-3 rout at Cliff Hagan Stadium.
The No. 6 Wildcats (17-7, 2-4 SEC) claimed two of the three series, have four victories against top 10 clubs this season and own the same overall record through 24 games as they did a season ago.
After dropping the opener 4-3 as the Tigers rallied in the final inning, the Cats rebounded in a big way with their backs up against the wall. Junior All-American Tristan Pompey led off the game with his third home run of the season, setting the tone for a game that saw the Cats score in all six innings – both games were seven inning affairs due to the doubleheader. Pompey finished 4-for-5 in the second game, driving in a career-high five runs and missing just the triple in the quest for the cycle.
Junior right-hander Justin Lewis rebounded from a difficult outing at Arkansas last weekend by one-hitting the Tigers through five innings of work. Although he was uncharacteristically wild he battled out of an early jam and allowed just one run to earn his 12th career victory.
Junior C/1B Kole Cottam (2-for-3, career-high four runs scored, home run) and senior IF/OF Luke Heyer (3-for-4, two runs, two RBI) also highlighted an attack where all nine starters reached base safely and seven had hits in game two.
In the opener, junior righty Zach Haake made his first career start for the Cats and held Auburn scoreless on one hit through 3.2 innings as the Cats took a 1-0 lead into the seventh. A bloop hit to start the inning set up Auburn’s four-run rally and the Cats were unable to come all the way back despite Ben Aklinski’s two-run homer in the UK’s final at bat.
NOTES
· The Cats are now 5-5 vs. ranked teams this season, including 4-5 vs. Top 10 teams.
· The offense has …
o Hit a home run in 23 of 24 games this season.
o Racked up 109 extra-base hits
· Several Cats extended impressive reached base safely streaks…
o Junior OF Tristan Pompey has reached in 54 of the last 56 games.
o Senior INF Luke Becker has reached in all 24 games.
o Senior C/1B Troy Squires has reached in 23 of 24 games this season.
o Junior OF Ben Aklinski has reached in 18 of the last 19 games.
o Sophomore DH T.J. Collett has reached in 21 of the past 23 games.
· In game two of the doubleheader, all nine starters reached base safely.
o Seven starters recorded hits.
· Junior OF Tristan Pompey went 4-for-5 with a run, five RBI, double and home run in Game 2.
o The home run was his third of the season and 20th career blast.
o He is the first UK player to lead off the game for the Cats with a home run since he did so at Missouri last season.
o He now has nine doubles in 2018 and 35 for his career.
o The five RBI are a new career-high, surpassing his previous best of four.
o The four hits match his career-high.
o Pompey now has six multi-hit games this season and 40 in his career.
o He has three multi-RBI games this season and 23 for his career.
· Junior C/1B Kole Cottam went 2-for-3 with four runs scored, two RBI and a home run in Game 2.
o The home run is his 10th, which is a season career-high for him.
o The four runs scored are a new career-high.
o Cottam nine multi-hit games this season and 35 for his career.
o Cottam has nine multi-RBI games this season and 24 for his career.
· Senior IF/OF Luke Heyer went 3-for-4 with two runs, two RBI and a double in Game 2.
o Heyer now has 11 multi-hit games this season and 15 in his career.
o He has nine multi-RBI games this season and 12 for his career.
o He has 18 extra-base hits in 23 games.
· Junior OF Ben Aklinski homered in Game 1, giving him home runs in three of the past four games at that time.
· Junior RHP Justin Lewis earned the win in Game 2, the 12th of his career.
o Lewis allowed just one hit in 5.0 innings.
· Junior RHP Zach Haake started Game 1, the first start of his UK career.
o Haake got a no-decision, pitching 3.2 innings while allowing one hit, walking four and striking out two.
ON DECK
The Cats remain at home for a midweek game with Miami (Ohio) on Wednesday. First pitch will be at 6:30 p.m. ET. The game will be streamed on the SECN+ with radio on 630 AM WLAP.
Follow along with the Cats on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, and on the web at UKathletics.com.
