STAFF REPORT
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Eight of nine position starters contributed an RBI and Collin Cowgill and Ryan Wilkes each added home runs for the second consecutive game, as the No. 4 Kentucky baseball team rolled over the Alabama Crimson Tide, 15-2, securing the three-game series, on Saturday at Cliff Hagan Stadium. UK goes for the sweep on Sunday, with first pitch set for 1 p.m. ET.
After putting up six runs in each the second and third innings, to take a 12-0 lead, UK got through the top of the fourth before mother nature intervened, postponing the game at 3:42 p.m., with the game resuming five hours and four minutes later, when the storm had passed the Central Kentucky area. The UK Sports Turf Management team, led by Sports Turf Manager Donnie Mefford, worked feverously clearing as much standing water as possible from the field, enabling the two teams to complete the contest. Had the conclusion of the game been postponed until Sunday, then the originally scheduled Sunday contest would be shortened to seven innings, per Southeastern Conference regulations. With the game completed on Saturday, the Sunday finale will be the regularly scheduled nine innings.
The series win over Alabama marked UK’s first series win over the Crimson Tide since taking 2-of-3 from UA in 1993, in Tuscaloosa. The Wildcats will be seeking the sweep on Sunday, a feat not accomplished by the Wildcats since the 1992 season. UK still trails the all-time series with Alabama, 28-47, including a 12-22 mark in Lexington. The series win marks the second SEC-opening series win in the past three years, as the Wildcats claimed the opening weekend from LSU in 2006.
Kentucky (17-0, 2-0 SEC) got multi-hit performances from its 3-4-5-6 hitters, as well as bombs from Cowgill and Wilkes. Cowgill and senior first baseman Brian Spear led the way with three RBI, with Spear, Wilkes, Sawyer Carroll, and Chris McClendon each tallying multi-hit games. Freshman shortstop Chris Wade finished with a 2-for-3 day, notching two RBI.
On the mound, UK got a four-inning performance from junior Saturday starter Scott Green, before the five-hour delay ended his outing. Green struck out five in four innings, before senior southpaw Andrew Albers took the ball after the rain delay, working five innings, allowing only two hits and one unearned run. Albers struck out seven, picking up his fourth win of the season.
Kentucky and Alabama resume the series on Sunday, with a 1 p.m. ET first pitch at Cliff Hagan Stadium. UK sends Greg Dombrowski, the Kentucky career winning percentage record holder, to the bump to face off with Alabama’s Austin Graham. Dombrowski, a 2007 preseason All-America selection, was tabbed to the National Pitcher of the Year Watch List earlier this season.
Alabama starter Will Stroup (2-1) took the loss, lasting only two innings, allowing six hits, seven runs, and walking three. Austin Evans, Robert Phares and Del Howell finished off the game for UA, allowing eight runs between the trio.
Kentucky got on the board in the second inning, plating six runs on six hits. Carroll led off with a slap single to right field, and Wilkes followed with a single to right of his own. The runners moved into scoring position after a balk was called and McClendon plated Carroll with a single to centerfield, getting thrown out attempting to leg out a double. After Marcus Nidiffer struck out looking, Wade lined an RBI single off the glove of Stroup, with the ball landing into shallow right field, scoring Wilkes. Wade stole second and Troy Frazier drew a walk, with the runners moving into scoring position on a wild pitch. Wiley singled into left field, scoring Wade, and putting two runners on for Cowgill. Cowgill mashed a 1-0 offering into left centerfield, splitting the videoboard and the batters eye with a line-drive shot.
The inning after putting up six runs on six hits, UK duplicated that performance in the third inning, scoring six runs on three hits. Carroll and Wilkes drew walks to lead off the inning and McClendon scored Carroll with a single up the middle, moving to second on the throw. Nidiffer scored Wilkes with a single to centerfield, and Wade plated McClendon with a sacrifice fly. Wiley followed, hitting into a fielding error, advancing to second on the throw and allowing Nidiffer to score. After Cowgill drew a walk, Spear doubled into left field, scoring Cowgill and Wiley.
Wilkes added his second homer of the season and his second in as many days, belting an offering from Del Howell over the right-field fence, as the first batter after the five hour and four minute delay.
UK added to its lead in the seventh, pushing across two runs on two hits. Frazier drew a one-out walk and Wiley followed with a walk of his own. Spear drove in Frazier with a single through the left side. Carroll ripped his seventh double of the season – to the opposite field- down the left-field line, scoring Wiley from second.
Alabama got on the board courtesy of a UK fielding error in the ninth inning with a runner on third and two out. With Kent Matthes on third, Alex Kubal hit a hard liner at Spencer Korus at third base, who bobbled the ball and could not get a speedy Kubal at first, allowing the unearned run to score.
