SEC baseball: Cats win series opener over Vols, 6-4
UK calls on DH Braden Kapteyn to close things out in the ninth. He gets pinch-hitter Jeff Lockwood to fly to left and Zach Osborne to take a called third strike. Kentrail Davis draws a walk, bringing the potential tying run to the plate. A wild pitch moves Davis to second base. But Kapteyn runs down a short pop foul off the bat of Blake Forsythe to end the game. FINAL SCORE: Kentucky 6, Tennessee 4.
Cats take 6-4 lead into ninth
Tennessee goes to the bullpen again to open the bottom of the eighth. Left-hander Will Locante comes in, with righty Matt Ramsey moving to right field in place of Jarred Frazier. Locante beans Bryan Rose with a 3-2 pitch, strikes out Chad Wright, walks Andy Burns and fans Chris Bisson. The Vols go to their bullpen again, calling in right-hander Stephen McCray. He strikes out Gunner Glad. Heading to the ninth inning: Kentucky 6, Tennessee 4.
Paxton strikes out side in 8th
UK lefty James Paxton strikes out the side, in order, in the eighth. Going to the bottom of the inning: Kentucky 6, Tennessee 4.
Cats leave ‘em loaded in 7th
In the seventh inning, a leadoff single by Kentucky’s Chris Bisson and a walk by Gunner Glad brings an end to Nick Hernandez’s night on the mound for Tennessee. Coach Todd Raleigh calls for right-hander Ryne Simpson. Marcus Nidiffer bunts the runners to second and third, and Raleigh replaces Simpson with lefty Adam Adkins. Keenan Wiley walks on four pitches, loading the bases. Adkins exits and right-hander Matt Ramsey enters the game for Tennessee. Ramsey fans Braden Kapteyn and gets Chris McClendon on a comebacker. At the end of seven innings: Kentucky 6, Tennessee 4.
Vols score 1 in 7th; Cats lead 6-4
A one-out single by Kentrail Davis ignites a Tennessee rally in the seventh inning. Blake Forsythe walks and both runners advance on a James Paxton wild pitch. Davis scores on Cody Haven’s sacrifice fly to center, Forsythe taking third. P.J. Polk grounds out on a tough play by third baseman Chris McClendon. Seventh-inning stretch time: Kentucky 6, Tennessee 4.
Cats roar back with six-run sixth
Chad Wright
For a second inning in a row, Kentucky opens with back-to-back singles, this time by Andy Burns and Chris Bisson, to put runners on the corners. Gunner Glad’s fly to center is too shallow to score Burns. A wild pitch moves Bisson to second base before Marcus Nidiffer draws a walk to load the bases. Keenan Wiley, who singled to open the previous inning, fouls off a couple of 3-2 pitches before lining a two-run single down the third-base line. Nidiffer holds at second. Braden Kapteyn brings Nidiffer home with the tying run and moves Wiley to third with a double to left. Vols lefty Nick Hernandez spears Chris McClendon’s bullet-comebacker to notch the second out, but Bryan Rose walks to load the bases. Chad Wright, 0-for-3 to this point, clears the bases with a double down the line that glances off the glove of left-fielder P.J. Polk. Wright goes to third on a wild pitch. Burns flies to deep left. At the end of six innings: Kentucky 6, Tennessee 3.
Cats trail 3-0 in middle of 6th
Tennessee gets a two-out single from Cody Grisham, but nothing else in the sixth inning. Going to the bottom of the inning: Tennessee 3, Kentucky 0.
Cats threaten but don’t score in fifth
Kentucky mounts its strongest threat in the fifth, starting with back-to-back singles by Keenan Wiley and Braden Kapteyn. Chris McClendon’s bunt moves runners to second and third with one out. But Vols left Nick Hernandez retires Bryan Rose on a pop foul and gets Chad Wright on a groundout to second. Going to the sixth inning: Tennessee 3, Kentucky 0.
Vols go down in order in fifth
A correction on the fourth-inning scoring for Tennessee (see revised information below).
In the top of the fifth, Tennessee goes down in order. In the middle of the fifth: Tennessee 3, Kentucky 0.
Vols lead Cats 3-0 through 4th
Tennessee left-hander Nick Hernandez sets Kentucky down in order in the fourth. Going to the fifth: Tennessee 3, Kentucky 0.
Vols push lead to 3-0 in fourth
Zach Osborne
UK lefty James Paxton strikes out the first two batters in the fourth inning, but the second of those – Tyler Horne — reaches first on a wild pitch. Cody Grisham’s single to left advances Horne to third and Grisham takes second on the throw to third. Paxton comes back to strike out Jarred Frazier. But Zach Osborne, a freshman out of Pleasure Ridge Park, singles up the middle drives in both runners. In the middle of the fourth: Tennessee 3, Kentucky 0.
Vols lead Cats 1-0 through third
Kentucky’s No. 9 hitter, Bryan Rose, is hit by a pitch to start the third inning. But Chad Wright grounds into a 4-6-3 doubld play and Andy Burns lines out to center. Going to the fourth inning: Tennessee 1, Kentucky 0.
Tennessee strands two in 3rd inning
In the top of the third inning, Tennessee’s Blake Forsythe reaches first on a two-out fielding error by shortstop Andy Burns. Cody Hawn draws a walk, but James Paxton catches P.J. Polk looking at a third strike. In the middle of the third: Tennessee 1, Kentucky 0.
Cats waste Nidiffer’s second-inning single
Kentucky gets a leadoff single from Marcus Nidiffer but can’t move him past second base. After two complete innings: Tennessee 1, Kentucky 0.
Tennessee down in order in 2nd inning
James Paxton
Kentucky left-hander James Paxton retires the Tennessee Volunteers in order in the second inning. Going to the bottom of the second: Tennessee 1, Kentucky 0.
Tennessee leads Kentucky 1-0 through 1st
Kentucky threatens in the bottom of the first but gets nothing. Andy Burns laces a one-out single to left. As Chris Bisson strikes out, Burns steals second. Gunner Glad hits a ball hard, but right at third baseman Cody Brown, who tags Burns for the third out. After one inning: Tennessee 1, Kentucky 0.
Tennessee gets a run in first
Blake Forsythe
Tennessee strikes in the top of the first, doing all its damage after the first two batters are retired. Blake Forsythe singles through the right side of the infield, then goes to second as Cody Hawn reaches on a third-strike wild pitch. P.J. Polk’s single to right scores Forsythe, Hawn stopping at second. After half an inning: Tennessee 1, Kentucky 0.
Late lineup change puts Wade on bench
A late lineup change for Kentucky. SS Chris Wade will not start due to a sore hamstring. Andy Burns, originally set to DH, moves to short. Braden Kapteyn goes in as DH. The revised lineup is listed below.
SEC baseball: Tennessee at Kentucky
Getting ready for Friday’s opener of a three-game Southeastern Conference baseball series at Cliff Hagan Stadium, with Kentucky (22-22 overall, 8-13) playing host to Tennessee (20-25, 6-15).
UK comes in 10th overall in the SEC, Tennessee 11th. Only the top eight teams will qualify for the SEC Tournament, May 20-24, at Hoover, Ala.
The top eight entering weekend play, in order: LSU, Georgia, Arkansas, Ole Miss, Florida, Alabama, Vanderbilt and South Carolina. Auburn is No. 9.
The weather 30 minutes before the scheduled game time is 72 degrees, overcast, an 18 mph wind blowing from right field to left, with gusts to 25 mph.
The lineups:
Tennessee — Zach Osborne, ss; Kentrail Davis, cf; Blake Forsythe, c; Cody Hawn, 1b; P.J. Polk, lf; Cody Brown, 3b; Tyler Horne, dh; Cody Grisham, 2b; Jarred Frazier, rf. Pitching: LH Nick Hernandez (2-4, 5.26).
Kentucky — Chad Wright, lf; Andy Burns, ss; Chris Bisson, 2b; Gunner Glad, 1b; Marcus Nidiffer, c; Keenan Wiley, cf; Braden Kapteyn, dh; Chris McClendon, 3b; Bryan Rose, rf. Pitching: LH James Paxton (4-2, 5.53).
Umpires — Tony Maners, home; John Whitaker, 1b; Owen Butts, 3b.
Ask me when I fell in love with sports and you may as well ask when I first registered a pulse. I can't recall ever being without either. 
![](”http://markmaloney.bloginky.com/files/rss.gif")
