Mark Maloney on Kentucky sports

Kentucky pitchers struck out 17 and starter Chris Rusin (14 K’s) took a no-hitter into the sixth inning Saturday.

Yet, Tennessee’s pulled out the 8-2 victory at Cliff Hagan Stadium.

“We struck out, but we did have some good swings in between those,” said Todd Raleigh, coach of the Volunteers. “We hit three homers and almost four … but that kid (Rusin) pitched a heck of a game.”

Kentrail Davis broke up the no-hitter and shutout with a two-run homer that gave Tennessee a 2-1 lead. Tyler Horne led off the seventh with a homer and Cody Brown added a three-run shot in the eighth.

The outcome evens the three-game series at a game apiece. Both sides see Sunday’s finale as a must-win situation. UK (23-23, 9-14 SEC) began the day ninth in the SEC overall standings, the Vols (21-26, 7-16) 11th. Only eight teams will qualify for the SEC Tournament, May 20-24 at Hoover, Ala.

Gary Henderson

“Absolutely,” UK Coach Gary Henderson said of the “must-win” assessment. “We’ve got to win a series, we’re at home and then you’ve got to win another series next weekend. So absolutely.”

Todd Raleigh

“It is,” Raleigh agreed. “It has to be. We figured we had to win two this weekend, we’ve got to win two against South Carolina and two against Vandy to have a chance. So it’s a must win.”

Rusin, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound senior, said that he struggled with his command early. He issued a pair of first-inning walks, the first first-inning walks he’s surrendered all season. But he also baffled the Vols, striking out 10 over five no-hit innings.

“Really a shame to waste Chris Rusin’s effort,” Henderson said.

UK didn’t do much against Tennessee righty Ty’Relle Harris.

Marcus Nidiffer, who singled, scored on Chris McClendon’s second-inning double for a 1-0 lead.

Bryan Morgado

In the fifth, McClendon lined an infield single off of Harris’ throwing hand. Harris retired the next two batters, then turned things over to lefty Bryan Morgado. (Raleigh said later that Harris “is fine.”)

“I was expecting to go in in the sixth, not in the fifth, so I didn’t have very many (warm-up) pitches to go in there,” Morgado said. “But I knew I had to battle my way through and find a way to keep my team in the game.”

He did, going the last 4 1/3 innings while holding UK to a run, two hits and four walks. Morgado (3-1) struck out five.

Rusin’s sixth-inning trouble began with the fourth of his five walks in the game, this one to leadoff batter Zach Osborne. P.J. Polk bunted Osborne to second.

Kentrail Davis

Davis jumped on an 0-1 pitch, drilling the ball deep into the parking lot beyond right field.

“We didn’t panic at all,” Davis said. “We got some good pitches to hit. He had our number for a minute there. We just settled down, not try to do too much and we started getting some hits.”

As for the big first hit, Davis said, “There was a man on second, so I knew he wasn’t going to give me anything special to hit. He threw me a good breaking ball and I just kept my hands back and I hit it.”

After Horne’s homer made it 3-1, UK got a run in the seventh without benefit of a hit.

A hit batsman, walk and sacrifice put runners on second and third. A Morgado wild pitch scored Nidiffer. Two more walks, sandwiched around a strikeout, loaded the bases, but the inning ended when Andy Burns lined out to right field.

“When somebody gives you that opportunity, if you’re going to win the ball game, you’ve got to take advantage of it,” Henderson said. “Somebody’s got to step up and get a base hit and put a crooked number up there, and get us back in the ball game.”

Instead, the momentum swung back to Tennessee, which struck for four runs in the eighth. The big blow was Brown’s three-run homer, which came on the first pitch offered by UK reliever Braden Kapteyn.

Rusin was charged with six runs, five hits and five walks over 7 1/3 innings. He threw 124 pitches, 75 for strikes.

Chris Rusin

“We didn’t get the win so (14 strikeouts) doesn’t feel too good,” Rusin said. “I made a couple mistakes and it cost me three runs.”

Which leaves the Cats with a must win in order to take the series.

“I think we’ll be good,” Rusin said. “We’ve just got to come out aggressive and we’ll win the series.”

Would one ever think of being on a team that struck out 17 times and somehow pulled out a win?

“Never. Never,” Davis said. “I don’t think anybody, any coach, any player would have. But we stayed focused and got it done.”

Chris Rusin

James Paxton

More good news for first-year head coach Gary Henderson and his Kentucky Wildcats.

For a third straight season, UK is in the national pre-season baseball rankings. Earlier, Baseball America rated UK’s incoming class of recruits No. 4 in the nation, and seven highly regarded prospects committed for the 2010 season.

A tip of the hat to Brent Ingram, UK baseball’s media contact, for providing the information.

Collegiate Baseball Newspaper’s Top 40 has the Cats at No. 19. All 12 Southeastern Conference schools either received votes or made the list  — the only conference to do so.

With Henderson serving as pitching coach under John Cohen (who returned to his alma mater, Mississippi State, after last season), UK has won a school-record 122 games over the last three seasons. UK was ranked No. 20 last year and No. 27 in 2007 by Collegiate Baseball in its pre-season poll, and No. 25 in last year’s National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association poll.

The Cats led the SEC in earned run average last season. They appear to be well-armed once again.

Senior left-hander Chris Rusin is a first-team all-SEC pick and is on the Brooks Wallace Player of the Year watch list. He led SEC starters in ERA throughout the season, finishing with a 6-3 record and 3.33 ERA over 13 starts. Included were two complete games.

Also back is Saturday starter James Paxton, also a lefty, who is coming off a 4-2, 2.92 season.

Freshman All-America shortstop Chris Wade returns to lead a defense that led the SEC with a .979 fielding percentage last season. Wade also led the SEC with 24 doubles, while batting .296 with five homers and 51 RBI.

Other returnees include third baseman Chris McClendon (.346, 3 HR, 33 RBI, 7 SB) and center fielder Keenan Wiley (.327, 2 HR, 38 RBI).

The Cats open the 2009 season Feb. 20, taking on Troy in the Coastal Carolina pre-season tournament at Myrtle Beach, S.C.  UK has won 67 of its last 73 non-conference games in the regular season, including 20 in a row at home. The team’s 122 wins over the last three seasons ranks fourth among SEC schools, a list topped by Vanderbilt with 133.

Collegiate Baseball Newspaper pre-season poll

UK opponents in bold.

Rank    School (’08 Final Record)        Points

1.         LSU (49-19-1)                          495

2.         North Carolina (54-14)           494

3.         Rice (47-15)                            489

4.         Georgia (45-25-1)                   486

5.         Stanford (41-24-2)                  484

6.         Arizona State (49-13)                  482

7.         Florida State (54-14)                   479

8.         Louisville (41-21)                    476

9.         Texas A&M (46-19)                 473

10.       Texas (39-22)                          470

11.       Mississippi (39-25)                 467

12.       Georgia Tech (41-21)             465

13.       Cal State Fullerton (41-22)         462

14.       Oklahoma State (44-18)              459

15.       Baylor (32-26)                         457

16.       Fresno State (47-31)                    456

17.       San Diego (44-17)                   453

18.       Miami, Fla. (53-11)                 451

19.       Kentucky (44-19)                   448

20.       Cal Irvine (42-18)                  445

21.       UCLA (33-27)                           443

22.       Missouri (39-21)                     440

23.       Pepperdine (38-21)                 439

24.       Southern California (28-28)    436

25.       Florida (34-24)                        435

26.       Clemson (31-27-1)                  432

27.       Notre Dame (33-21-1)            430

28.       Coastal Carolina (50-14)        428

29.       Michigan (46-14)                    425

30.       Cal Santa Barbara (35-21)    423

31.       East Carolina (42-21)              422

32.       Missouri State (40-17)                420

33.       Southern Mississippi (42-22)  417

34.       Tulane (39-22-1)                     415

35.       Arizona (42-19)                       414

36.       Wichita State (48-17)                  410

37.       Texas Christian (44-19)           409

38.       Oregon State (28-24)                  406

39.       California (33-21-2)                402

40.       Alabama (35-28)                    398

OTHER TEAMS RECEIVING VOTES: Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Arkansas, Auburn, Long Beach St., Oregon, Virginia, North Carolina St., Houston, Kent St., Santa Clara, U.C. Riverside, Oral Roberts, Nebraska, Kennesaw St., Ohio St., Oklahoma, San Diego St., Tennessee, Mississippi St., New Mexico, Jacksonville St., Elon, Western Kentucky, Dallas Baptist, N.C. Charlotte, South Florida, St. John’s, Winthrop, Purdue, James Madison, Marshall, Central Florida, Washington, Washington St., Georgia Southern, Northwestern St., Lamar, Texas-San Antonio, Southern, Louisiana-Monroe, New Orleans, Hawaii, San Jose St., San Francisco.