LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky entered Sunday against South Carolina looking to score another series win in a rubber match in Southeastern Conference play. It’s been a familiar pattern for the Wildcats this season. This was the sixth time in seven series — and the fifth straight weekend — that game three decided the series.
But South Carolina has been the worst opponent of this bunch, coming to Lexington with just a 4-14 record in the league. After a doubleheader split on Saturday, which saw Kentucky take game one 7-3 but fall 5-4 after a late homer in game two, the Wildcats needed a win on Sunday to keep the momentum alive.
They did just that on a sunny Sunday afternoon at Kentucky Proud Park, defeating South Carolina 11-5 to improve to 10-11 in the SEC. A five-run fourth inning propelled Kentucky to a 6-1 lead, and it tacked on four runs in the eighth to pull away.
Here are some takeaways from the Wildcats’ win:
Saying Sunday’s game was a must-win is probably too strong with nine more league games remaining, but it certainly makes Kentucky’s path to the NCAA Tournament easier. By win-loss record, South Carolina was the worst team left out of Kentucky’s SEC opponents. Mississippi State is a bubble team, but the series being in Starkville adds a layer of difficulty. Oklahoma and Vanderbilt, the final two opponents in league play, are also safe NCAA Tournament teams. A sweep over South Carolina would’ve been fantastic, but winning the series is enough to keep the Wildcats trending in the right direction. Add in Tuesday night’s rout over in-state rival Louisville — a top-25 win at that — and it was a solid 3-1 week for the baseball program.
Kentucky received another strong outing from sophomore lefthander Ben Cleaver. He allowed three earned runs over 5.2 innings and struck out five. Perhaps he ran out of gas in his final inning, but I thought the staff put a lot of trust in him in an important spot. With a 6-1 lead, Cleaver walked the first two batters of the inning and then allowed an RBI single. He then walked the bases loaded with no outs, which could’ve prompted a pitching change since Cleaver’s pitch count was in the nineties. But the staff stuck with him and he struck out Beau Hollins to record the first out, and nearly induced a double play on the next batter. The runner beat the throw at first, so it went down as a fielder’s choice to make the score 6-3. Head coach Nick Mingione then went to Evan Byers out of the bullpen, who ended the threat with a groundout to shortstop.
Second baseman Luke Lawrence started the scoring for Kentucky in the third inning. After South Carolina took a 1-0 lead in the top half, Lawrence launched a solo homer into the Gamecocks’ bullpen in right field to even the score. He also singled and drew a walk.
Kentucky plays just two true freshmen in its lineup, and both came through on Sunday. Ryan Schwartz, who entered the lineup for the first time on April 18 against Tennessee and has remained in it ever since, blooped a two-RBI single into left field in the bottom of the fourth to make it 3-1. The Wildcats loaded the bases later in the inning, and standout shortstop Tyler Bell cleared the bags with a three-RBI double into the left-centerfield gap. Bell had at least one hit in every game this weekend and looks comfortable in the leadoff spot.
Left fielder Cole Hage was another position player who had a nice weekend. He went 2-3 with an RBI and a HBP in game one, homered in game two and put the game on ice with a two-RBI single with bases loaded in the eighth.
South Carolina made things interesting in the eighth. Three straight singles with two outs brought two runs home to trim the Kentucky lead to 7-5. James McCoy moved from first base to pitcher and ended the threat. Kentucky broke it open in the bottom of the frame with four runs as it batted around in the inning.
The Wildcats return to action on Tuesday night in Bowling Green against Western Kentucky University. The Hilltoppers have been one of the best mid-majors in college baseball for most of the season, but they’re coming off a three-game sweep to FIU.
