Mark Maloney on Kentucky sports

In the bottom of the ninth, Chad Wright is caught looking at strike three. Andy Burns coaxes a walk, bringing the potential tying run to the plate. Chris Bisson loops a single to shallow left, moving Burns to second and bringing the potential winning run to the plate. Gunner Glad grounds into a 6-4-3 double play. FINAL SCORE: Auburn 7, Kentucky 5.

Auburn           212  002  000  — 7    6  1
Kentucky        000  100  310  — 5  11  1
W — Price (4-2); L — Meyer (1-4); Sv — Hubbard (11). HR — AU: Mummey (15), Feltcher 2 (16); UK: Burns (6), Nidiffer (7). Att. — 2,040.

Cats hold Auburn in 9th, try to rally from 2 down

Auburn’s Brian Fletcher leads off the top of the ninth with a walk and moves to second on a grounder. UK Coach Gary Henderson replaces Logan Darnell with right-hander Clint Tilford. Darnell, a lefty, gave up three hits over 5 2/3 innings in relief. Second baseman Chris Bisson knocks down Wes Gilmer’s grounder up the middle and throw him out at first, while Fletcher takes third. Catcher Marcus Nidiffer blocks a Tilford pitch in the dirt, keeping Fletcher at third. Tilford then strikes out Dan Gamache with a B-B over the inside corner. Going to the bottom of the ninth: Auburn 7, Kentucky 5.

Nidiffer homers for UK, cuts Auburn lead to 7-5

Marcus Nidiffer

After the first two Kentucky batters are retired, Marcus Nidiffer sneaks a solo homer just over the center-field wall and the outstretched glove of Trent Mummey. Nidiffer’s seventh homer of the season cuts UK’s deficit to two runs. At the end of eight innings: Auburn 7, Kentucky 5.

Auburn goes down 1-2-3 in eighth

Auburn goes down in order in the eighth inning. Going to the bottom half of the inning: Auburn 7, Kentucky 4.

Kentucky scores 3 in 7th, trails Auburn 7-4

Chad Wright

Gunner Glad

When Braden Kapteyn leads off Kentucky’s half of the seventh with a bloop single to center, Auburn Coach John Pawlowski pulls starting pitcher Dexter Price and brings in another righty, Bradley Hendrix. Hendrix retires one batter, but Cory Farris doubles to right, Kapteyn stopping at third. Chad Wright’s chopper to short scores Kapteyn, but Farris gets hung up between second and third. He stays in a a rundown long enough for Wright to advance to second base. Andy Burns brings Wright home with a single up the middle and advances to second on the throw to the plate. Chris Bisson walks. Gunner Glad singles through the right side of the infield and, when right-fielder Ben Jones bobbles the ball for an error, Burns scores and Bisson takes third. Pawlowski yanks Hendrix and brings in another right-hander, Austin Hubbard. He gets Chris Wade to ground out. Going to the eighth inning: Auburn 7, Kentucky 4.

Unusual double play ends Auburn threat in 7th

In the top of the seventh, Auburn’s Wes Gilmer leads off with a double to the gap in right-center and Dan Gamache follows with a walk. Caleb Bowen puts down a two-strike bunt to move the runners to second and third. Justin Haggerty bounces to shortstop Chris Wade. Gilmer holds at third but Gamache doesn’t hold at second. After Wade throws out Haggerty at first, Gunner Glad whips the ball to second baseman Chris Bisson, who gets the ball to Chris McClendon for the tag. Score the double play 6-3-4-5. Seventh-inning stretch time: Auburn 7, Kentucky 1.

Wildcats add two hits but no runs in 6th

In the bottom of the sixth, Kentucky gets a one-out single, up the middle, from Chris Bisson. One out later, Chris Wade singles, the fifth hit given up by Auburn right-hander Dexter Price. The threat ends as Keenan Wiley lines out to center. Going to the seventh inning: Auburn 7, Kentucky 1.

Fletcher goes deep again to give Auburn 7-1 lead

Brian Fletcher

A hit batsman and Brian Fletcher’s second home run of the game (16th of the season) produce two runs for Auburn in the sixth inning. Three homers have produced six Auburn runs. Trent Mummey, the other long-ball artist, drove in the Tigers’ other run with a bases-loaded walk. Going to UK’s half of the sixth: Auburn 7, Kentucky 1.

Cats leave 2 runners on in 5th, trail Auburn 5-1

Kentucky gets a leadoff single from Keenan Wiley and a two-out single from Cory Farris, but can’t score in the fifth. Two runners are stranded as Chad Wright flies to deep center. Going to the sixth inning: Auburn 5, Kentucky 1.

Nidiffer, Darnell quell Auburn threat in fifth

After the first batter grounds out, Auburn loads the bases with a single, walk and fielding error. UK catcher Marcus Nidiffer fires a strike to Andy Burns, successfully picking off Wes Gilmer at third. Logan Darnell then induces Justin Hargett to ground out to second. In the middle of the fifth: Auburn 5, Kentucky 1.

Burns homer puts Kentucky on the board

Andy Burns

Held to a walk through three innings, Kentucky gets a lift from Andy Burns. The third baseman rips the first pitch of the inning for a home run off of the light tower in right-center field. Five of his six homers this season have come on first-pitch offerings. Auburn righty Dexter Price retires the next two batters. Then, Chris Wade just misses a homer — a long foul down the left-field line — and then flies out to right. After four innings: Auburn 5, Kentucky 1.

Darnell strikes out Auburn in order in fourth

UK’s Logan Darnell strikes out the side in the fourth: Hunter Morris, Ben Jones and Brian Fletcher, all swinging. In the middle of the fourth: Auburn 5, Kentucky 0.

Wildcats’ bats remain silent in third inning

Kentucky goes down in order in the third via two fly balls and a called third strike. Through three innings: Auburn 5 runs, 3 hits; Kentucky 0 runs, 0 hits.

Fletcher homer increases Auburn lead to 5-0

Alex Meyer

Auburn’s half of the third inning starts out much like the first inning. Ben Jones draws a leadoff walk and Brian Fletcher follows with a home run, his 15th of the season, over the left-field wall. Then, just as in the first, UK righty Alex Meyer strikes out the next two: Casey McElroy and Wes Gilmer. Unlike the first, though, he doesn’t get a third whiff in a row, as Dan Gamache and Caleb Bowen walk — Meyer’s and seventh free passes of the day. Gary Henderson pulls Meyer and brings in left-hander Logan Darnell. For his third straight at-bat, Justin Hargett works the count full before drawing a walk — this one to load the bases. But Trent Mummey fouls out to third baseman Andy Burns and Auburn leaves the bases loaded for the second consecutive inning. In the middle of the third inning: Auburn 5, Kentucky 0.

Cats get a base-runner but nothing else in 2nd

Auburn right-hander Dexter Price handles Kentucky’s first two batters in the second. The freshman gets Gunner Glad on a fly ball to left and Chris Wade on a pop to short right. Keenan Wiley draws a walk. Right fielder Ben Jones, battling the sun, wind and a long run to Braden Kapteyn’s shallow fly, makes a circus catch. At the end of two innings: Auburn 3, Kentucky 0.

Auburn adds a run in 2nd, leads Kentucky 3-0

Auburn puts runners on first and second with one out, prompting Kentucky Coach Gary Henderson to make a visit to RHP Alex Meyer. The freshman responds, striking out Caleb Bowen but then issues Justin Hargett his second walk of the game. Trent Mummey, who homered in the first inning, pops a foul behind the plate. But catcher Marcus Nidiffer is slow to locate the ball and can’t make the catch. Mummey then walks, forcing in a run. Hunter Morris just misses a grand slam, flying out on a drive to the right-field warning track. In the middle of the second inning: Auburn 3, Kentucky 0.

Wildcats go down in order in first inning

Kentucky goes down in order in the first, with a groundout, lineout and fly out. At the end of one: Auburn 2, Kentucky 0.

Mummey homer gives Auburn early 2-0 lead.

Trent Mummey

In the top of the first, Auburn taketh and Auburn swingeth away. Leadoff man Justin Hargett takes a 3-2 pitch for ball four. Trent Mummey brings him around with a two-run homer to the deck in right-center, his 15th homer of the season. UK freshman right-hander Alex Meyer settles down to strike out the next three batters — Hunter Morris, swinging; Ben Jones, looking; and Brian Fletcher, swinging. After half an inning: Auburn 2, Kentucky 0.

SEC baseball: Auburn at Kentucky, III

Kentucky, which hadn’t won a home baseball series against Auburn since 1989, tries for a three-game sweep Sunday.

We’re about 20 minutes away from the first pitch on a beautiful day at Cliff Hagan Stadium — 64 degrees, mostly sunny and a 7 mph wind blowing out to left field.

Kentucky swept Saturday’s Southeastern Conference doubleheader 6-5 (10 innings) and 6-3.

UK (26-23, 11-15 SEC) still has hopes of qualifying for the eight-team SEC Tournament. The Wildcats start Sunday ninth overall, 1 1/2 games behind Vanderbilt and 2 games back of South Carolina. Vandy goes for a sweep of Georgia on Sunday, with South Carolina taking on Tennessee.

Saturday’s sweep virtually eliminated Auburn (27-24, 8-18) from contention.

 

Sunday’s starting lineups:

AUBURN — Justin Hargett, 2B; Trent Mummey, CF; Hunter Morris, 1B; Ben Jones, RF; Brian Fletcher, LF; Casey McElroy, SS; Wes Gilmer, 3B; Dan Gamache, DH; Caleb Bowen, C. Pitching — RH Dexter Price (3-2, 5.74).

KENTUCKY — Chad Wright, LF; Andy Burns, 3B; Chris Bisson, 2B; Gunner Glad, 1B; Chris Wade, SS; Keenan Wiley, CF; Braden Kapteyn, DH; Marcus Nidiffer, C; Cory Farris, RF. Pitching — RH Alex Meyer (1-3, 4.67).

UMPIRES — Kevin Assman, plate; Nelson Graham, 1B; A.J. Lostaglio, 3B.

Logan Darnell closes out Kentucky’s 17-11 win over Tennessee. He retires Cody Brown on a comebacker, pinch-hitter Matt Hamaker on a grounder to second and strikes out Tyler Horne. Overall, Darnell retires the last 11 batters in a row. FINAL SCORE: KENTUCKY 17, TENNESSEE 11.

Cats take 17-11 lead over Vols into 9th inning

Tennessee right-hander Matt Ramsey disposes of Kentucky’s first two batters in the eighth, but issues a walk to No. 9 hitter Marcus Nidiffer. No harm, though, as Chad Wright grounds into a fielder’s choice. Going to the ninth inning: Kentucky 17, Tennessee 11.

Darnell is perfect in 8th; UK leads Vols 17-11

Kentucky’s Logan Darnell retires Tennessee in order for the second inning in a row. Overall, Darnell has retired eight batters in a row. In the middle of the eighth inning: Kentucky 17, Tennessee 11.

Glad homers in 7th to give UK 17-11 lead

Gunner Glad

Kentucky gets its offense cranking again in the seventh. Andy Burns leads off, drawing his fourth walk of the game. One out later, Gunner Glad smacks a two-run homer to the deck in right-center. Tennessee’s bullpen gets another call, this time for right-hander Matt Ramsey. He gets a pair of fly balls to end the inning. At the end of seven: Kentucky 17, Tennessee 11.

Darnell sets down Vols in order in 7th

Logan Darnell

Cats lefty Logan Darnell retires Tennessee in order in the seventh, getting a pair of groundouts and catching P.J. Polk looking at a full-count called third strike. At seventh-inning stretch time: Kentucky 15, Tennessee 11.

Cats go down 1-2-3 in 6th, hold 15-11 lead

Kentucky goes down 1-2-3 in the sixth via a pair of strikeouts and an infield fly. Going to the seventh inning: Kentucky 15, Tennessee 11.

Forsythe homer cuts UK lead to 15-11 in 6th

Tennessee cuts into Kentucky’s lead in the sixth as Blake Forsythe sends a one-out solo homer over the left-field wall. In the middle of the sixth inning: Kentucky 15, Tennessee 11.

Kapteyn slam caps 5-run 5th; Cats lead 15-10

Marcus Nidiffer

Braden Kapteyn

The hits (and the runs) just keep on coming. Kentucky’s Marcus Nidiffer leads off the bottom of the fifth with a home run off of the light tower in left-center, snapping a 10-10 tie. Chad Wright singles up the middle, his third hit of the day, and takes second on a wild pitch. Andy Burns walks before Chris Bisson flies to shallow left for the first out. Tennessee Coach Todd Raleigh calls for his fifth pitcher of the game — left-hander Joey Rosas, whose only other appearance of the season came Feb. 21. Gunner Glad walks to load the bases. Braden Kapteyn crushes a 1-1 pitch for a grand-slam homer to right-center. Rosas retires the next two batters. Through five complete innings: Kentucky 15, Tennessee 10.

Tennessee plates 4 in 5th to tie Cats, 10-10

Charley Thurber

Tennessee comes back again in the fifth, roughing up Mike Kaczmarek. Kentrail Davis reaches on an infield single, then scores on Cody Hawn’s double to right-center. Blake Forsythe walks. Cody Brown lays down a sacrifice bunt and is safe at first as Kaczmarek bobbles the ball for a base-loading error. Charley Thurber knocks a two-run single through the right side, moving Brown to second. That finishes Kaczmarek as Coach Gary Henderson summons another lefty, Logan Darnell. Tyler Horne ties the game with a run-scoring single down the third-base line, Thurber stopping at second. Cody Grisham’s bunt is misplayed by first baseman Gunner Glad, loading the bases. Zach Osborne flies to shallow left for the first out. P.J. Polk reaches on a fielder’s choice as third baseman Chris McClendon throws to catcher Marcus Nidiffer for a forceout. Kentrail Davis flies to deep right, leaving the bases juiced. Through 4 1/2 innings: Kentucky 10, Tennessee 10.

Nothing doing for UK in 4th, but Cats lead 10-6

Kentucky goes down in order for the first time today. At the end of four innings, the Wildcats have made a call to the bullpen for left-hander Mike Kaczmarek. The score: Kentucky 10, Tennessee 6.

Leadoff homer cuts UK lead to 10-6 in fourth

Tyler Horne

Tennessee’s Tyler Horne leads off the top of the fourth with a homer to straightaway center field. UK right-hander Clint Tilford retires the next three in order, all on grounders. In the middle of the fourth: Kentucky 10, Tennessee 6.

Cats score twice to build 10-5 lead over Vols

Third-inning homer cuts Cats’ lead to 8-5

Tennessee rallies in the third as Cody Hawn belts a one-out solo homer over the scoreboard in left-center. The Vols put two more runners on before an unusual double play. Charley Thurber’s popup drops between three Cats, just beyond the infield dirt between short and third. The infield fly rule made Thurber an automatic out. When the ball fell, Blake Forsythe ran from second to third, where he was tagged out by pitcher Clint Tilford. In the middle of the third: Kentucky 8, Tennessee 5.

UK explodes for 8 runs, leads Vols 8-4 through 2 innings

Chris Bisson

Keenan Wiley

In the bottom of the second, Kentucky gets a one-out single from Troy Frazier. One out later, Marcus Nidiffer walks. Chad Wright beats out a slow chopper to shortstop, loading the bases. Andy Burns battles back from an 0-2 count by taking a ball and fouling off a pair of pitches. His grounder to shortstop is too hot for Zach Osborne to handle. The error allows Frazier to score and keeps the bases loaded. Chris Bisson drives a full-count pitch to the wall in right-center for a three-run triple, tying the game at 4. Gunner Glad singles through the left side of the infield, driving in Bisson with the go-ahead run. Tennessee Coach Todd Raleigh goes to his bullpen, calling in right-hander Stephen McCray. Braden Kapteyn, UK’s ninth batter of the inning, draws a walk. Keenan Wiley drives the next pitch over the wall in right-center, his fourth homer of the season, to plate three more runs. Troy Frazier fouls out to close the inning. At the end of two innings: Kentucky 8, Tennessee 4.

Tennessee goes down in order in second

Tennessee goes down in order in the second with two groundouts and a fly ball. In the middle of the second: Tennessee 4, Kentucky 0.

Cats leave a pair of runners on in first, trail 4-0

In the bottom of the first, Kentucky gets a one-out walk by Andy Burns and a bloop single by Chris Bisson. But Tennessee lefty Steven Gruver strikes out Gunner Glad and Braden Kapteyn. After one inning: Tennessee 4, Kentucky 0.

Tennessee bolts to 4-0 lead in first inning

Blake Forsythe

Cody Brown

Tennessee strikes quickly in the top of the first. A single, walk and an error load the bases with one out. Blake Forsythe singles to left, driving in Zach Osborne with the game’s first run. Cody Brown rips a three-run double to the left-field corner. Clint Tilford’s errant pickoff throw moves Brown to third. Cody Thurber walks. Tyler Horne grounds into a 6-4-3 double play. After half an inning: Tennessee 4, Kentucky 0.

SEC baseball: Tennessee at Kentucky III

Getting set for the final game in a three-game Southeastern Conference baseball series at Cliff Hagan Stadium matching Kentucky and Tennessee. The teams split the first two games.

Kentucky was scheduled to start freshman right-hander Alex Meyer, but he is a late scratch due to a calf injury. Filling in is righty Clint Tilford.

The lineups:

Tennessee (21-26 overall, 7-16 SEC) – Zach Osborne, ss; P.J. Polk, lf; Kentrail Davis, cf; Cody Hawn, 1b; Blake Forsythe, c; Cody Brown, 3b; Charley Thurber, rf; Tyler Horne, dh; Cody Grisham, 2b. Pitching: LH Steven Gruver (0-1, 6.49).

Kentucky (23-23, 8-15) — Chad Wright, lf; Andy Burns, ss; Chris Bisson, 2b; Gunner Glad, 1b; Braden Kapteyn, dh; Keenan Wiley, cf; Troy Frazier, rf; Chris McClendon, 3b; Marcus Nidiffer, c. Pitching: RH Clint Tilford (1-4, 6.04).

Umpires — Owen Butts, plate; Tony Maners, 1b; John Whitaker, 3b.

Weather — Overcast, 57 degrees, wind 10 mph out to right field.

Inning-by-inning recap

Bulldogs add a run in the ninth

Cats get nothing in eighth

Henry strikes out the side in eighth

Cats strand a runner in seventh

Georgia strands runner in seventh

Killer Keenan ‘goes yard’ second straight chance

Keenan Wiley

For a second consecutive at-bat, UK’s Keenan Wiley goes deep, lining a leadoff homer well beyond the right-field wall. His second homer of the game also is his second of the season. One out later, Chad Wright reaches on an infield single and Chris Bisson reaches on a fielding error by second baseman Michael Demperio. That finishes Trevor Holder’s day as Georgia Coach David Perno summons right-hander Michael Palazzone from the bullpen. Palazzone gets Chris Wade and Chris McClendon to fly out. At the end of six innings: Georgia 6, Kentucky 4.

Nothing doing for Bulldogs in sixth

Nothing doing for Cats in fifth

Georgia scores three in fifth to take 6-3 lead

Lyle Allen

The first two Georgia batters in the fifth reach safely — Matt Cerione on a single and Rich Poythress on a full-count walk. Another full-count walk — the third walk in as many plate appearances for Bryce Massaneri — loads the bases with no outs. Lyle Allen, who smacked a two-run homer his previous at-bat, drives in Cerione with the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly to right. UK starter Alex Meyer gets Joey Lewis on a pop to second, but walks Colby May on a 3-2 pitch to again load the bases. Meyer, having given up five hits and seven walks while striking out six, is replaced by right-hander Tyler Henry. Henry puts Levi Hyams in an 0-2 hole. On the third pitch, a ball, UK catcher Marcus Nidiffer tries to catch Poythress straying from third. But the ball skips past third baseman Chris McClendon for a run-scoring error on Nidiffer. Hyams then hits a high chopper down the line. McClendon, looking for a friendly bounce into foul territory, lets the ball go. It skips past, staying fair, for an odd run-scoring double. A walk loads the bases, but Henry retires Johnathan Taylor on a fly to center. In the middle of the fifth inning: Georgia 6, Kentucky 3.

Wiley ties it with first homer of season

Bulldogs retake lead on Allen’s two-run homer

Georgia wasted little time in taking the lead back from Kentucky. Bryce Massanari led off the fourth with a walk. Lyle Allen then lined a two-run homer just over the short (310 feet down the line) wall in right field. The Bulldogs put two more runners on, but they were stranded at second and third. After 3 1/2 innings: Georgia 3, Kentucky 2.

Glad drives in a pair for UK

Gunner Glad

Kentucky gets a pair of one-out hits in the third. Chad Wright bunts to the first-base side for a single and moves to second on Chris Bisson’s “swinging bunt” single towards the mound. Wright takes third on Chris Wade’s fly to right, and a walk by Chris McClendon loads the bases for cleanup hitter Gunner Glad. Swinging at a 2-0 pitch, Glad dropped a Texas League-single into short center. Wright and Bisson scored, with McClendon taking third. Georgia averts further damage as left-fielder Johnathan Taylor makes a diving catch of Bryan Rose’s drive down the line. After three innings: Kentucky 2, Georgia 1.

Cats turn double play to end Georgia’s third

Georgia gets a one-out single from Matt Cerione in the third inning. But Alex Meyer induces Rich Poythress to ground into a 6-4-3 double play (Chris Wade to Chris Bisson to Gunner Glad). Going to the bottom of the third: Georgia 1, Kentucky 0.

Cats get a runner

Kentucky gets its first base-runner as Bryan Rose draws a one-out walk. He gets to second on a wild pitch, but is stranded there. Through two innings: Georgia 1, Kentucky 0.

McClendon’s web gem sets up 1-2-3 inning

Chris McClendon

Georgia goes down in order in the second, thanks to Kentucky third baseman Chris McClendon. Leadoff man Colby May was robbed of a hit when McClendon made a diving stab of a liner down the line, righted himself and threw out May at first. Alex Meyer struck out the next two batters. After 1 1/2 innings: Georgia 1, Kentucky 0.

Cats go down 1-2-3 in first

Georgia starter Trevor Holder sets the Wildcats down in order, striking out two. After one inning: Georgia 1, Kentucky 0.

Bulldogs strike first

Rich Poythress

Georgia takes a 1-0 lead in the first. Johnathan Taylor drew a leadoff walk, stole second and went to third on Matt Cerione’s groundout. Rich Poythress followed with a run-scoring single up the middle — his NCAA-leading 57th RBI of the season. Two more Bulldogs reached base before UK starter Alex Meyer struck out Lyle Allen and Joey Lewis to end the threat. After half an inning: Georgia 1, Kentucky 0.

Play Ball!

At Cliff Hagan Stadium for the start of Kentucky’s three-game Southeastern Conference baseball series against Georgia.

After being rained out Friday night, the teams are scheduled to play two Saturday, at 2 p.m and the regularly scheduled time of 7 p.m.

Lineups for the first game:

Georgia – Johnathan Taylor, lf; Matt Cerione, cf; Rich Poythress, 1b; Bryce Massanari, c; Lyle Allen, rf; Joey Lewis, dh; Colby May, 3b; Levi Hyams, ss; Michael Demperio, 2b. Pitching: RH Trevor Holder (5-2, 3.48).

Kentucky – Chris Bisson, 2b; Chris Wade, ss; Chris McClendon, 3b; Gunner Glad, 1b; Bryan Rose, rf; Marcus Nidiffer, c; Keenan Wiley, cf; Andy Burns, dh; Chad Wright, lf. Pitching: RH Alex Meyer (1-1, 4.04).

The Cats get something going in the bottom of the ninth. Keenan Wiley leads off by lining a single over shorstop Bobby Haney, and Spencer Korus follows with a walk. A four-pitch walk to Chad Wright loads the bases with none out.

Chris Bisson strikes out swinging. Chris Wade’s fly to left scores Wiley, with Korus and Wright staying put. Chris McClendon bounces out as Blake Cooper completes an eight-hit distance performance. Final score: South Carolina 4, Kentucky 2.

Cats trail by 3 going to bottom of 9th

Jackie Bradley Jr. starts the South Carolina ninth with a double down the right-field line. He takes second on Whit Merrifield’s sacrifice bunt. Nick Ebert draws a walk, putting runners on the corners with one out, and knocking Clint Tilford from the game. Left-hander Logan Darnell gets the call from the Kentucky bullpen.

Darnell promptly strikes out DeAngelo Mack. Right-hander Braden Kapteyn, already in the game as DH, gets the call for face Andrew Crisp. Kapteyn does the job with a called third strike.

With Carolina’s Blake Cooper trying to finish a complete game, going to the bottom of the ninth: South Carolina 4, Kentucky 1.

Going to the 9th: Carolina 4, Kentucky 1

In the top of the eighth, South Carolina strands a runner, Scott Wingo, who was hit by a pitch.

Kentucky gets a Chris McClendon walk and Gunner Glad single in the bottom of the seventh, but both are stranded. Going to the ninth inning: South Carolina 4, Kentucky 1.

Gamecocks lead Wildcats 4-1 through 7th

In the top of the seventh, one-out singles by Bobby Haney and Jackie Bradley Jr., drive UK’s Tyler Henry from the mound. Right-hander Clint Tilford gets the call from the ‘pen.

Whit Merrifield welcomed Tilford with a run-scoring double down the right-field line, with Bradley stopping at third. With the infield drawn in, Nick Ebert lined a two-run single past a diving UK third baseman Chris McClendon.

Whit Merrifield

Tilford got the next three batters. But South Carolina leads 4-1.

In the bottom of the seventh, UK got two-out singles by Spencer Korus and Chad Wright. They were stranded when Chris Bisson was retired on a close play at first.

At the end of seven innings: South Carolina 4, Kentucky 1.

Cats, Gamecocks tied 1-1 through 6th

UK strands a runner in a scoreless sixth inning. Going to the seventh: UK 1, South Carolina 1.

Gamecocks tie with run in sixth

So much for settling down.

DeAngelo Mack

UK’s Alex Meyer opened the sixth inning by issuing his sixth walk of the game, and his third to Nick Ebert. Meyer’s third wild pitch of the game moved Ebert to second. And DeAngelo Mack drove in the tying run with a single up the middle.

That ended Meyer’s day as Coach Gary Henderson called to the bullpen for righty Tyler Henry.

Henry set down the next three batters in order.

Midway through the sixth: Kentucky 1, South Carolina 1.

Cats take 1-0 lead in fifth

Braden Kapteyn

After struggling through two innings, UK right-hander Alex Meyer has settled down.

In the fifth, recorded his first 1-2-3 inning of the game, getting a pair of groundouts and his fourth strikeout of the day.

Braden Kapteyn led off UK’s half of the fifth with a double to left-center. A sacrifice bunt by Keenan Wiley moved Kapteyn to third base. Spencer Korus brought him home with the game’s first run, sending a double over the head of center fielder Whit Merrifield.

Korus made it to third on Chad Wright’s bunt, but was stranded when Chris Bisson grounded out.

Spencer Korus

After five innings: Kentucky 1, South Carolina 0.

Nothing doing in the fourth inning

Carolina wasted a two-out single by Kyle Enders. Through four innings, the Gamecocks have left at least one runner on base in every inning, five total.

Kentucky went down 1-2-3 in the fourth.

Through four, both teams have no runs on two hits.

Still no score through three innings

Carolina wasted a two-out walk in the third inning.

The Gamecocks made a defensive switch, subbing Kyle Enders for Justin Dalles behind the plate. Dalles appeared to suffer an injury in the first inning, by a ball that deflected off of UK batter Chris McClendon.

The Wildcats wasted a two-out infield single by Chris Bisson.

Through three innings: no score.

Scoreless through two innings

UK starter Alex Meyer did his best Houdini impression in the second.

South Carolina’s Andrew Crisp led off with a single and Jeffrey Jones walked. A wild pitch advanced both runners, and Justin Dalles walked to load the bases with none out.

But Meyer struck out Scott Wingo, picked off Jones at second and got Bobby Haney on a dribbler to the mound, escaping unscathed.

Carolina’s Blake Cooper retired the Cats in order.

At the end of two innings: no score.

No score through first

Both teams turned double plays in a scoreless first inning.

Two walks and a two-base throwing error gave South Carolina runners on the corners with one out. But DeAngelo Mack flied to Chad Wright in short left, and Wright threw out Jackie Bradley Jr., at the plate to end the top of the first.

Kentucky got a leadoff infield single by Chris Bisson, but Chris Wade grounded into a 6-4-3 double play.

Going to the second inning: no score.

Live from Cliff Hagan Stadium at the University of Kentucky: South Carolina vs. Kentucky

After splitting a wild Saturday doubleheader, this Southeastern Conference series winds up Sunday. South Carolina won Saturday’s opener 20-19. Kentucky took the nightcap 5-4.

Sunday’s game-time conditions: 38 degrees, a 24 mph wind blowing from right field to left, with light rain.

The lineups:

South Carolina – Jackie Bradley Jr., rf; Whit Merrifield, cf; Nick Ebert, 1b; DeAngelo Mack, lf; Andrew Crisp, 3b; Jeffrey Jones, dh; Justin Dalles, c; Scott Wingo, 2b; Bobby Haney, ss. Pitching: RH Blake Cooper (3-2, 4.74).

Kentucky – Chris Bisson, 2b; Chris Wade, ss; Chris McClendon, 3b; Marcus Nidiffer, c; Gunner Glad, 1b; Braden Kapteyn, dh; Keenan Wiley, cf; Spencer Korus, rf; Chad Wright, lf. Pitching: RH Alex Meyer (1-1, 4.81).

There wasn’t much fence-straddling in Kentucky’s 9-8 win over visiting Eastern Kentucky  — see http://www.kentucky.com/232/story/715068.html

Positives abounded. So did negatives. For both teams. Not much so-so stuff.

UK pulled out the victory on Chris Bisson’s two-run, two out walk-off homer in the ninth — his first collegiate dinger.

EKU battled back from deficits of 4-0 and 7-2 to, with a five-run ninth inning, take an 8-7 lead.

Of course, that means that UK both pitching staffs blew ninth-inning leads.

The Wildcats got the satisfaction of a 24th consecutive home-field, non-conference victory.

The Colonels got a measure of just how good they are — good enough to beat Louisville, the consensus favorite in the Big East, 7-5 on Tuesday, then come within one strike of beating Southeastern Conference neighbor UK the next day.

Alex Meyer

Wildcat pitchers combined to issue 14 walks, but battled well enough to strand 17 runners.

Lost in the late-inning dramatics was Alex Meyer’s first collegiate start.

The 6-foot-8, 205-pound right-hander from Greensburg, Ind., arrived at UK as Baseball America’s second-ranked freshman prospect. The Boston Red Sox took a flier on him last June, drafting him in the 20th round even though he had committed to UK.

In two relief appearances spanning six innings for UK, Meyer earned a save, with two walks, four strikeouts and a whopping 10.50 ERA.

Wednesday, his play mirrored what happened throughout the game. Moments of brilliance offset by moments of futility.

“It’s one I’ll probably never forget,” Meyer said.

Meyer last 4 1/3 innings, giving up two runs on four hits and six walks. He struck out six of the 22 batters he faced.

His control was, for the most part, absent. Of 73 pitches thrown, only 37 were strikes. Many of those were off-speed pitches, rather than his highly touted fastball.

“Yeah, (the off-speed) was working a little better than my fastball tonight,” Meyer said. “I felt like I had to go to that a lot more than I wanted to. But it’s good to have it in your pocket and go to it when you need it.”

Meyer knows his control must improve.

“It’s just something I have to work on. I’ve been erratic before,” he said. “I haven’t been consistent. … Today, I didn’t have necessarily my best stuff. It’s just something I feel I’m going to have to work on in the near future, and be a little better prepared next time.”

That work ethic likely will be needed by all of Wednesday’s participants.

“I’m proud of the way our kids played, and to have that comeback ability,” EKU Coach Jason Stein said. “We want to have that as we continue throughout the season, especially when the start (Ohio Valley) conference play. Because that second, third game in the conference, you get down in the pitching and you’ve got to be able to come back, and your offense has to do some of those things.”

* UK freshman Braden Kapteyn, who began the game at first base, notched his first collegiate win despite giving up EKU’s five ninth-inning runs. He also went 2-for-5 at the plate, making him 7-for-12 overall (.583).

He has yet to experience a game as head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats, but Gary Henderson continues to make noise — music, actually — on the baseball recruiting trail.

Henderson, who moved from pitching coach to head coach when John Cohen bolted to Mississippi State last year, has a recruiting class this year that is ranked No. 4 in the nation by Baseball America. UK opens the season Feb. 20 with a four-team tournament at Coastal Carolina, along with Troy and James Madison. The Cats’ home opener is set for Feb. 27 against Western Michigan.

Henderson’s recruiting crop for the 2010 season has grown by two since we last told you of six pitchers and a catcher who committed during the fall signing period.

Since then, Henderson has added a pair of transfers: RHP Matt Little of Virginia Beach, Va., and LHP Bryce Robinson of Kokomo, Ind.

Brent Ingram, UK’s switch-hitting media relations contact for baseball, has the full scouting report. He notes that Little comes from Louisburg (N.C.) College and Robinson from Georgia Tech.

Little, a 5-foot-10, 180-pound junior with a mid-90s fastball, was named by PGcrosschecker.com as the sixth-best prospect in the 2008 Coastal Plains League. Playing for the Peninsula Pirates, he was 3-1 with a 2.60 ERA over 16 games, including four starts. He worked 45 innings, with 40 strikeouts, 37 walks and 24 hits — no homers — allowed, with a league-low .168 batting average by opponents.

At Louisburg, a junior college, he was 4-4 with a 2.88 ERA in 2007.

Bryce Robinson

Robinson, a 6-1, 180-pound freshman, was listed by Baseball America as the 99th best high school prospect last season, a four-star recruit. A three-time team MVP for Kokomo and two-time all-state selection, he hit a school-record 14 homers and posted a career mark of 19-2 with a 1.20 ERA. Kokomo won the state title in 2007, when Robinson struck out 93 with a 0.96 ERA, allowing just nine runs (seven earned) over 51 innings. He also played quarterback and was three-year captain of the Kokomo football team.

Henderson’s recruiting class for this season includes two “Top 100″ high school prospects – No. 5 Alex Meyer (RHP, Greensburg, Ind.) and No. 38 Andy Burns (IF, Fort Collins, Colo.).

The rest of the 2010 class is made up of: LHP Jon Carlson (Rolling Meadows, Ill.); RHP Jordan Cooper (Shelbyville, Tenn.); RHP Joe Devine (Mount Carmell, Ill.); RHP/OF Sam Kidd (Ohio County); C Luke Maile (Covington Catholic); LHP Taylor Rogers (Littleton, Colo.), and RHP Walter Wijas (Elk Grove Village, Ill.).

Just wondering if Brent Ingram, Kentucky’s crafty knuckler of media relations, might have sacrificed a bucket of chicken in the name of Jobu.

Ingram’s Wildcats (some might say Coach Gary Henderson’s Wildcats) have picked up another top 25 mention in the pre-season baseball polls.

Already tabbed No. 19 by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, the Cats came in at No. 23 Wednesday in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association poll. UK has been ranked three consecutive seasons in pre-season polls.

Intrastate rival Louisville is ranked No. 11. North Carolina is No. 1. At No. 2 is LSU, the first of five Southeastern Conference teams in the Top 25. (Six other SEC teams received votes.)

UK is coming off a school-record 44-win season that ended in the championship game of NCAA Regional play at Ann Arbor, Mich. The Cats have won a school-record 122 games over the last three seasons.

This will mark the first season with Henderson, the former pitching coach, in charge. Predecessor John Cohen left UK for his alma mater, Mississippi State. The Bulldogs are the only SEC team not receiving votes in the pre-season poll.

Henderson must fill voids left by all-American outfielders Sawyer Carroll and Collin Cowgill, second baseman Ryan Wilkes and pitchers Andrew Albers, Brock Baber, Greg Dombrowski, Scott Green and Aaron Lovett.

The Cats return two of their weekend starters in Chris Rusin and James Paxton. Shortstop Chris Wade, a freshman all-American, returns, as do third baseman Chris “Sparky” McClendon and center fielder Keenan Wiley.

Add to that UK’s highest-rated recruiting class ever, tabbed No. 4 in the nation. Included in that group are middle-infielder Andy Burns, high school all-Americans Braden Kapteyn (RHP/IF) and Cory Farris (OF/C), and 6-foot-8 right-hander Alex Meyer.

The Wildcats open the season Feb. 20-22, facing Troy, then James Madison and Coastal Carolina in the Carvelle Resort Tournament at Conway, S.C. UK’s home opener is scheduled Feb. 27, the first in a four-game series against Western Michigan.

NCBWA Top-35 Pre-season Poll

    School (conference)    2008 record

1.  North Carolina (Atlantic Coast)    54-14

2.  LSU (Southeastern)              49-19-1

3.  Rice (Conference USA)              47-15

4.  Texas A&M (Big 12)                  46-19 

5.  Georgia (Southeastern)        45-25-1

6.  Florida State (Atlantic Coast )      54-14 

7.  Arizona State (Pacific-10)           49-13 

8.  Texas (Big 12)                          39-22

9.  Stanford (Pacific-10)                  41-24-2

10.  Cal State Fullerton (Big West)    41-22 

11.  Louisville (Big East)            41-21 

12.  Miami (Atlantic Coast)              53-11 

13.  Georgia Tech (Atlantic Coast)    41-21

14.  Mississippi (Southeastern)  39-26 

15.  UC Irvine (Big West)                42-18 

16.  Oklahoma State (Big 12)           44-18

17.  Fresno State (Western Athletic)  47-31 

18.  San Diego (West Coast)            44-17

19.  Baylor (Big 12)                        32-26  

20.  Missouri (Big 12)                     39-21

21.  Pepperdine (West Coast)          38-21  

22.  Coastal Carolina (Big South) 50-14

23.  Kentucky  (Southeastern)  44-19 

24.  Florida (Southeastern)       34-24  

25.  UCLA (Pacific-10)                    33-27   

26.  Clemson (Atlantic Coast)          31-27-1  

27.  East Carolina (Conference USA) 42-21

28.  Oklahoma (Big 12)                   36-26 

29.  Arizona (Pacific-10)                  42-19     

30.  Michigan (Big Ten)                   46-14

31.  Oregon State (Pacific-10)          28-24

32.  Texas Christian (Mountn. West) 44-19

33.  Southern Cal (Pacific-10)          28-28 

34.  Tulane (Conference USA)         39-22-1   

35.  Wichita State (Missouri Valley)   48-17 

 Others receiving votes (listed alphabetically): Alabama (35-28), Arkansas (34-24), Auburn (28-28), Bethune-Cookman (36-22), California (33-21-2), Charlotte (43-16), College of Charleston (39-20), Dallas Baptist (37-19), Elon (44-18), Houston (42-24), Lamar (35-23), Long Beach State (38-21), Missouri State (40-17), N.C. State (42-22), Nebraska (41-16), New Orleans (43-21), Notre Dame (33-21-1), Ohio State (30-26), Oral Roberts (48-14), Oregon (0-0), Sam Houston State (37-25), San Diego State (31-28), Santa Clara (33-22), South Carolina (40-23), Southern Miss (42-22), St. John’s (42-16), Tennessee (27-29), UC Davis (35-24), UC Santa Barbara (35-21), UNC Wilmington (44-17), UTSA (39-19), Vanderbilt (41-22), Virginia (39-23).

* 2009 UK opponents in bold

The Lexington Legends aren’t alone among South Atlantic League teams in changing managers (Tom Lawless in, Gregg Langbehn out).

Other new bosses in 2009 include Matt LeCroy (Hagerstown), Dusty Wathan (Lakewood), Ernie Young (Kannapolis) and Aaron Holbert (Lake County). West Virginia, switching affiliations from Milwaukee to Pittsburgh, also will have a new manager.

Young, part of the 2000 Olympic gold-medal team, will work on occasion with a man familiar to Reds fans. Ron Oester is the roving infield instructor in the White Sox organization.

Ex files

Off-season moves by the Astros include the release of right-handers Raymar Diaz, Jake Leonhardt and Luis Pardo, catcher Kevin Carceek, second baseman Greg Buchanan, shortstops Bryan Brown and Tim Torres and outfielder Cesar Quintero. All are ex-Legends.

Pitchers Doug Arguello, Chance Douglass, Paul Estrada, Mark McLemore became free agents, as did shorstops Osvaldo Fernando and Roberto Mena, and outfielder-turned-hitting-coach Todd Self. Arguello has since re-signed with the Astros.

* More on ex-Legends: catcher Danny Fatheree signed with the Cubs, and left-hander Phil Barzilla with the Padres. Catcher Hector Gimenez was granted free-agency by Tampa Bay, right-hander Cory Doyne by Baltimore.

* Two former Kentucky Wildcats have come or gone with New York teams. Second baseman Andy Green, out of Lexington Christian Academy, signed with the Mets. Shortstop Ryan Wilkes was released by the Yankees.

Young Wildcats rank high

We recently went over Kentucky’s fall signing class, which projects for the 2010 season. Of course, there’s always the danger (likelihood?) of losing committments to the Major League draft.

So what of the 2007 fall class — the first-year players who actually made it on to campus and are eligible to play for the Wildcats this season?

The class of 11 players, which includes five high school all-Americans, is ranked No. 4 in the nation by Baseball America. That’s the best ranking ever for a UK class – and not a bad way for former pitching coach Gary Henderson to start out his first season as head coach. Four of the top five teams and six of the top 11 are from the Southeastern Conference. Louisville is No. 20.

“We are very excited about our new group,” Henderson said in a UK press release. “These young men are very gifted physically, but even more impressive as people and competitors. Despite losing some signees to the 2008 MLB Draft in June, we are ecstatic about this group and we expect several of them to contribute in SEC play immediately.”

The high school all-Americans in the class are right-handers Alex Meyer and Braden Kapteyn, catcher Michael Williams, middle infielder Andy Burns and outfielder Cory Farris. According to Baseball America’s Aaron Fitt, the 6-foot-7 Meyer is “the (Southeastern) conference’s best recruit.”

Five recruits are from Kentucky – Farris (Boone County), outfielder Chad Wright (Heath) and three right-handers: Chase Greene (West Jessamine), Sean Bouthilette (Elizabethtown) submarining junior-college transfer Nick Kennedy (Paducah). Wright is the brother of Cats outfielder Brock Wright.

Two more Cats are JUCO transfers: Gunner Glad and Will Campbell.

Only three recruits from the fall 2007 signing period didn’t make it to Lexington — pitchers Robbie Ross and Seth Lintz signed as second-round draft picks and Daniel Webb landed in junior college.

The rankings and the players are listed below. 

Baseball America’s Top-25 Recruiting Classes (SEC team in bold)

1. Arizona State; 2. Vanderbilt; 3. Georgia ; 4. KENTUCKY; 5. Florida; 6. Texas A&M ; 7. UCLA; 8. Arkansas; 9. Texas Christian; 10. Oregon; 11. Mississippi; 12. Texas; 13. Clemson; 14. Virginia; 15. Cal State Fullerton; 16. Wichita State; 17. Fresno State; 18. Stanford; 19. Oklahoma State; 20. LOUISVILLE; 21. Pepperdine; 22. Southern California; 23. North Carolina State; 24. Florida State; 25. Duke. 

2009 UK Baseball Newcomers

Name, POS.        B/T          Ht./Wt.          Cl.           Hometown/School

Michael Williams , C             R/R          6-2 /210          FR           Knoxville, Tenn./Farragut HS

Andy Burns, IF             R/R          6-2/185          FR           Ft. Collins, Colo./Rocky Mountain HS

Nick Kennedy, RHP        R/R          6-1/170          R-SO       Los Angeles/East Los Angeles

Alex Meyer, RHP        R/R          6-8/205          FR           Greensburg, Ind./Greensburg HS

Sean Bouthilette, RHP        R/R          6-2/195          FR           Elizabethtown, Ky./E-town HS

Gunner Glad , IF/RHP    R/R          6-0/190          R-JR        Tulsa, Okla./Tulsa Union/E. Okla.

Chad Wright , OF           L/R          5-10/180          FR           Paducah, Ky./Heath HS

Chase Greene, RHP/IF    R/R          6-1/180          FR           Nicholasville, Ky./W.Jessamine HS

Braden Kapteyn, IF/RHP    R/R          6-4 /205          FR           Lansing, Ill./Illiana Christian

Will Campbell, 1B/OF      R/R          6-5/265          JR            Seattle/Bellevue CC

Cory Farris, C/OF       L/R          6-1/195          FR           Florence, Ky./Boone County HS