Observations (3/10): Kentucky beats Ball State 10-3 in final matchup before SEC play
The Wildcats cruised past Ball State for their 10th straight win.
After a three-game sweep over The Citadel, No. 21 Kentucky took care of Ball State 10-3 in a final tune-up before SEC play. The win made it 10 straight for the Bat Cats and improved their record to 15-2 on the year.
Below are some takeaways.
Another big night for the offense
The offense put up a three-game season-high 35 runs in the sweep over The Citadel and kept that up against Ball State with another double-digit effort. The Bat Cats finished with 10 runs on 12 hits and five walks.
Kentucky went six-up, six-down in the first two innings and came into the dugout in the third facing a 2-0 deficit. Third baseman Caeden Cloud led off the frame with a double, followed by a single from right fielder Ryan Schwartz. Center fielder Jayce Tharnish got the Cats on the board with an RBI single. Shortstop Luke Lawrence brought home Schwartz on a sacrifice fly to tie the game 2-2.
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The defense held Ball State off the board in the fourth and left fielder Scott Campbell Jr. walked to lead off the inning and he eventually came around to score on a single from catcher Tagger Tyson to take the lead. The Cardinals put up another run in the fifth to tie the game.
Lawrence walked to start the bottom half of the fifth inning and was joined on base by designated hitter Tyler Bell, who singled. Both runners advanced into scoring position on an error and a stolen base. First baseman Hudson Brown reached on a fielder’s choice, which allowed Lawrence to score. Campbell Jr. kept the rally going with an RBI single to score Bell. Schwartz had the big swing in the inning with a double that scored two more runs. Tyson capped off the five-run rally with an RBI single.
The offense stranded two runners in the sixth before returning to the board in the seventh. Tyson walked and stole second before being driven home by Tharnish. Carson Hansen pinch hit for Bell in the eighth and capped off the scoring with an RBI-triple.
The bottom of the lineup in Cloud, Schwartz and Tyson shined as they went a combined 5-11, scored seven of the 10 runs and accounted for three RBIs.
“The bottom lineup created a lot of pressure,” UK coach Nick Mingione said. “And when you have a deep lineup, it's really hard, there's not a lot of easy outs.”
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Bullpen posts another solid outing
The bullpen had ups and downs in the five-game week, but had a masterful outing in game three against The Citadel as they tossed 7.2 scoreless innings. The bullpen gate swung open early once again in this matchup and relievers accounted for 6.1 innings.
“Our bullpen has been fantastic. When we're at our best, our starters are going deep into games. So I would like to see that. We need to have our starters so that we can shorten games for our bullpen,” Mingione said. “You know, you get into the habit of relying on your bullpen all the time, that's not the best thing in the world.”
Senior right-hander Nile Adcock was first out of the bullpen with one on and two outs in the third and struck out the first batter he faced. Adcock was back out for the fourth and ran into some trouble as an error and a single put two runners on with two outs, but he got out of it.
Redshirt sophomore righty Boone was next and he surrendered a one-out double and the runner advanced to third on a wild pitch. A sacrifice fly brought home the runner, but Boone limited the damage to the lone run. He walked a batter to start the sixth, but retired the next three in order to end the frame.
“You can't feel any better with the guys we have. And even plugging guys in, everyone's been ready to go, and guys have been waiting their turn, and when they have their chance, they've been ready,” Boone said. “I had a five-spot put up right before my second inning, and so much confidence going out there again.”
Junior righty Ryan Mullan was up next in the seventh and he cruised through a three-up, three-down inning with two strikeouts. Senior lefty Jackson Soucie was next in the eighth and hit a batter, but worked around it for another scoreless frame. Sophomore righty Burkley Bounds finished off the nice outing with a scoreless ninth to secure the win.
“We're all pumped,” Boone said about SEC play. “It's good that we've had our starters do well, and then sometimes when they don't do well, our bullpen is there to back them up. So we're feeling really good and confident.”
Will Colman gets the start
Freshman Will Coleman made his first start of the season last week at EKU, and he got the nod once again. Redshirt sophomore Chase Alderman had been the midweek man to this point of the season, but did not pitch against Ball State.
“He's dealing with a little bit, but I feel like he's going to be fine,” Mingione said. “It's good for Will, a left-hander up to 90 (miles per hour), and he's super talented, so good to get him back and work him in there. Chase is gonna be good. I feel good about his role will continue to increase, and he's gonna pitch for us moving forward.”
Coleman had traffic in the first after he gave up back-to-back one-out singles, but he got a foul out and a strikeout to end the frame. The second was a bit more settled as he got the first two batters out before walking a batter, but he retired the next two to remain scoreless.
The trouble started immediately in the third as he walked and hit the first two batters of the inning. He got a flyout, but the runners advanced to second and third on a wild pitch. Coleman then gave up two runs on a sacrifice fly and another wild pitch. He walked the next batter and this brought out Mingione to end his evening.
Kentucky will welcome Alabama into KPP for a three-game set starting Friday at 6:30 p.m.
