Mark Maloney on Kentucky sports

UK Coach Gary Henderson brought in closer Matt Little to open the bottom of the ninth. Attendance is reported at 4,039, a U of L regular-season record and fourth-largest all-time at Patterson Stadium. Little, a right-hander, got Drew Haynes to ground out to second. Jeff Arnold singled up the middle and Adam Duvall was hit by a pitch. That brought Andrew Clark to the plate with the potential tying run. His double to left-center scored Arnold and put Duvall on third with one out. Ryan Wright brought both runners home with a bloop single to right-center. Make the score 9-9, one on, one out and U of L home-run leader Phil Wunderlich stepping to the plate. Wunderlich lined a single to left, pushing Wright up to second. With Little behind Stewart Ijams 2-0, UK Coach Gary Henderson went to his bullpen and righty Braden Kapteyn. Two quick balls, the second sailing to the screen, loaded the bases. Zak Wasserman lined a 1-0 pitch over shortstop to drive in Wright with the game-winning run. Final totals:

Kentucky   9-12-0
Louisville 10-17-3

UK scores five in top of ninth

With one out in the top of the ninth, consecutive singles by Chris Bisson, Chad Wright and Gunner Glad scored a run to cut Louisville’s lead to 6-5. Lance Ray doubled to right, driving in Wright with the tying run. An intentional walk to Keenan Wiley loaded the bases for pinch-hitter Navarro Hall, who walked on four pitches to force Glad in with the go-ahead run. Cory Farris hit a potential double play ball to second baseman Ryan Wright, who flipped to shortstop Adam Duvall for an out. Duvall’s relay to first, though, was both late and off target, the ball going into the U of L dugout. That allowed Ray and Wiley to score, and Farris to advance to second. Marcus Nidiffer fanned to end the frame. Going to the bottom of the ninth: Kentucky 9, Louisville 6.

Eighth inning

U of L brought Tony Zych in to pitch. A single and two hit batsmen loaded the bases for UK with two outs in the eighth. Neil Holland came out of the bullpen to strike out Marcus Nidiffer, though, ending the threat. Louisville pushed the lead to 6-4 when Phil Wunderlich led off with his 14th homer of the season. Going to the ninth inning: Louisville 6, Kentucky 4.

Seventh inning

U of L made a pair of defensive changes. Right-hander Justin Amlung took over on the mound and Drew Fitzpatrick replaced Kyle Grieshaber in left field. Amlung retired Cory Farris, but walked Luke Maile. Neiko Johnson came in to run for Maile. With Johnson running, U of L called for a pitchout, but the ball slipped out of catcher Jeff Arnold’s hand as he prepared to throw. One out later, Chris Bisson cranked a no-doubt home run to right. His third homer of the season cut Louisville’s lead to 5-4 and knocked out Amlung. Left-hander Dean Kiekhefer took over on the mound. He got Chad Wright on a grounder to third. In the bottom half, Marcus Nidiffer took over catching duties for UK. Jeff Arnold led off for U of L with an infield single to the hole at short. A groundout moved him to second, but Andrew Clark was called out on strikes and Ryan Wright groundout out. After seven innings: Louisville 5, Kentucky 4.

Sixth inning

Kentucky went down in order for the first time in the game. The Wildcats changed pitchers to open the bottom of the inning, turning to right-hander Sam Kidd. After getting one out, Kidd hit a batter and walked one, U of L’s first free bases of the game. So UK Coach Gary Henderson brought right-hander Nick Kennedy in from the bullpen. U of L Coach Dan McDonnell countered with a left-handed pinch-hitter, Zak Wasserman. His single to right loaded the bases. Phil Wunderlich scored from third on a passed ball, barely beating the throw from catcher Luke Maile to Kennedy. One out later, Drew Haynes’ shot up the middle deflected off Kennedy’s glove into left field. Stewart Ijames and Wasserman both scored, although Haynes was out when he tried to advance to second on the throw to the plate.  After six innings: Louisville 5, Kentucky 2.

Fifth inning

UK’s Chad Wright had a one-out single negated when Gunner Glad grounded into a double play. UK lefty Mike Kaczmarek retired the only batter he faced in the bottom of the inning. UK Coach Gary Henderson then went with a righty, Walter Wijas. Jeff Arnold put down a bunt single but was stranded there. After five innings: Kentucky 2, Louisville 2.

Fourth inning

Cade Stallings

Both teams changed pitchers to open the inning, calling on lefties. The Cardinals went with Bob Revesz, the Wildcats with Mike Kaczmarek. UK’s Cory Farris lined a one-out single but was caught by center fielder Drew Haynes when he tried to leg out a double. Luke Maile walked but was stranded. U of L’s Andrew Clark, Ryan Wright and Phil Wunderlich welcomed Kaczmarek with consecutive singles to load the bases. Clark scored when Stewart Ijames grounded into a 6-4-3 double play. Cade Stallings doubled down the left-field line to plate Wright. A groundout ended the inning and left the score tied. After four innings: Kentucky 2, Louisville 2.

Third inning

UK wasted a two-out double by Lance Ray. U of L got a two-out hit from Adam Duvall, but left-fielder Chad Wright nailed him trying to stretch the hit to a double. After three innings: Kentucky 2, Louisville 0.

Second inning

Chris Bisson

Lance Ray

UK added another unearned run. With one out, Michael Williams reached first base when right fielder Stewart Ijames unsuccessfully tried to fend off the sun and instead dropped the ball for an error. Cory Farris singled through the right side, moving Williams to second. Luke Maile blooped an RBI-single down the right-field line, with Farris advancing to third. A fielder’s choice tapper and fly out prevented further damage. In the bottom of the inning, Ryan Wright led off with an infield single, took second on Phil Wunderlich’s single through the left side and moved to third on Ijames’ lineout to center. Cade Stallings struck out, though, and Kyle Grieshaber was robbed of a hit to end the inning. UK second baseman Chris Bisson went behind the bag and first baseman Lance Ray made the stretch and scoop on snare Bisson’s throw. After two innings: Kentucky 2, Louisville 0.

First inning

Kentucky struck for an unearned run. Gunner Glad reached on a two-out ground-rule double that one-hopped the wall in right field. Lance Ray struck out, but the wild pitch by Derek Self got past catcher Jeff Arnold and went back to the screen. Arnold’s throw to first baseman Andrew Clark was high, but second baseman Ryan Wright backed up the play and caught the ball on the fly. Glad never hesitated and continued around third for the plate. Wright’s throw home, where Self was covering, was too late to nab the sliding Wildcat. Ray was caught stealing for the third out. UK right-hander Jordan Self retired the Cardinals in order, getting a pair of groundouts and an infield fly. After one inning: Kentucky 1, Louisville 0.

Pre-game

It’s 63 degrees and mostly sunny at Patterson Stadium in Louisville, where Kentucky is visiting U of L’s 12th-ranked Cardinals.

UK is looking for a season sweep, having won 5-0 three weeks ago at Lexington.

A ceremonial first pitch has been thrown by U of L (and former UK) basketball coach Rick Pitino – high and inside if a right-hander had been at the plate.

The starting lineups:

KENTUCKY (23-17) — Chris Bisson 2B, Chad Wright LF, Gunner Glad 3B, Lance Ray 1B, Keenan Wiley CF, Michael Williams DH, Cory Farris RF, Luke Maile C, Taylor Black SS. Pitching: RH Jordan Cooper (2-3, 6.49).

LOUISVILLE (32-7) — Jeff Arnold C, Adam Duvall SS, Andrew Clark 1B, Ryan Wright 2B, Phil Wunderlich 3B, Stewart Ijames RF, Cade Stallings DH, Kyle Grieshaber LF, Drew Haynes CF. Pitching: RH Derek Self (6-0, 3.95).

UMPIRES – Keith Shartzer HP, Bryan Donnelly 1B, Scott Kennedy 3B.

Aided by another outstanding play by SS Taylor Black, UK’s Nick Kennedy set down Louisville in order in the ninth. Final score: Kentucky 5, Louisville 0.

Eighth inning

Mike Kaczmarek

Attendance is announced as a season-high 3,810. After getting the first out — making it 11 in a row — UK’s Mike Kaczmarek was touched up for a double by Mike Morrison, who was hitting for Drew Fitzpatrick. RF Cory Farris broke in, then slipped when he tried to reverse course. Jarred Clarkson came in to run for Morrison. A groundout moved Clarkson to third. That was all for Kaczmarek, who retired 12 of the 13 batters he faced. Coach Gary Henderson brought in RH Nick Kennedy, who caught Ryan Wright looking at strike three. Clarkson stayed in the game in left field, and RH Tony Zych became U of L’s seventh pitcher of the night. UK went down in order. Going to the ninth inning, Kentucky leads Louisville 5-0.

Seventh inning

Sixth inning

Marcus Nidiffer

For the second inning in a row, LH Mike Kaczmarek retired Louisville 1-2-3. The second out, by Phil Wunderlich, saw UK’s Taylor Black and Gunner Glad combine on the defensive gem of the game. Black, the shortstop, ranged to the second-base side of the bag to glove the hard-hit grounder. Glad made a big stretch towards right field in order to snag Black’s hurried throw. U of L again went to the bullpen to start the bottom of the inning, going with LH Brian Feekin. Black ripped a two-out double to the gap in right-center. Marcus Nidiffer stroked the next pitch for an RBI-single to left. An errant pickoff throw by Feekin moved Nidiffer to second, and Louisville went to its sixth pitcher of the game, RH Matt Koch. He fanned Andy Burns to end the frame. At the end of six innings, Kentucky leads Louisville 6-0.

Fifth inning

Gunner Glad

UK lefty Mike Kaczmarek set Louisville down in order in the fifth. After retiring Marcus Nidiffer on a fly to center, U of L’s Justin Amlung was replaced on the mound by RH Matt Lea. He promptly walked Andy Burns and fired a wild pitch to put Burns on second. Chad Wright worked the count full, then went the other way with a run-scoring single to left. U of L Coach Dan McDonnell went to his bullpen again, bringing in RH Gabriel Shaw. Chris Bisson was retired on a very close play at first, with Wright advancing to second. Gunner Glad then drove the first pitch offered by Shaw for a two-run homer to left. Glad may have missed first base, but a few steps later reversed direction to make sure he touched. The homer was his seventh of the season and marks the fifth game in his last six that he has homered. At the end of five, Kentucky 4, Louisville 0.

Fourth inning

Keenan Wiley

U of L’s Phil Wunderlich led off with a hard-luck double. Hard luck because he hit it to the only spot in right field where the ball would stay in the park — at the very top of the 30-foot wall that once upon a time was a scoreboard. UK’s Jordan Cooper got Jeff Arnold on a called third strike, and Stewart Ijames was retired when CF Keenan Wiley raced in to make a diving catch of a sinking liner. Zak Wasserman worked an 11-pitch walk, with Cooper already trotting for the dugout, convinced he had a strikeout. Coach Gary Henderson brought LH Mike Kaczmarek in to retire Drew Haynes on a fly to left. In the bottom of the inning, Louisville RH Justin Amlung took over from Tyler Mathis on the mound. After retiring the first two Wildcats he faced, Amlung hit Cory Farris with a pitch. Wiley doubled down the right-field line. Farris might have stopped at third, but the cutoff through skipped through the infield and gave him time to score. Wiley stole third, but was stranded there. Through four innings, Kentucky 1, Louisville 0. 

Third inning

U of L leadoff man Kyle Grieshaber put one out of the park down the left-field line, barely foul. U of L coach Dan McDonnell argued that the ball curved around the foul pole. Grieshaber then grounded out to shortstop. Adam Duvall was hit by a pitch, but was stranded at first. U of L made defensive changes, shifting Grieshaber from left field to second base, Ryan Wright from second base to shortstop, and Drew Fitzpatrick entering the game in left, batting in Duvall’s No. 2 slot. UK notched its first hit when Marcus Nidiffer drove a one-out single through the left side of the infield. No. 9 hitter Andy Burns then coaxed a walk. Chad Wright’s bounce-out moved the runners to second and third. Chris Bisson struck out on a full-count pitch, ending the threat. Through three innings, no score.

Second inning

U of L got a two-out infield single from Zak Wasserman but did no damage. Cardinals RH Tyler Mathis set Kentucky down in order. Through two innings, no score.

First inning

UK basketball seniors Ramon Harris, Mark Krebs and Perry Stevenson threw the ceremonial first pitches — simultaneously to three catchers.

Louisville loaded the bases with one out in the first inning, thanks to a throwing error by 3B Andy Burns, a walk and Ryan Wright’s bloop single. RHP Jordan Cooper escaped, though, getting Phil Wunderlich to ground into a 4-6-3 double play (Chris Bisson to Taylor Black to Gunner Glad). Going to the bottom of the first, no score.

In the bottom of the first, UK leadoff man Chad Wright was hit by a pitch. He was caught stealing, though, catcher Jeff Arnold to SS Adam Duvall. The next two Wildcats flied out. At the end of one inning, 0-0.

Seventh-ranked Louisville is in Lexington to take on Kentucky in a non-conference baseball game at Cliff Hagan Stadium. First pitch is set for 7 p.m.

Starting lineups

LOUISVILLE (23-4) — Kyle Grieshaber, lf; Adam Duvall ss; Andrew Clark 1b; Ryan Wright 2b; Phil Wunderlich 3b; Jeff Arnold c; Stewart Ijames rf; Zak Wasserman dh; Drew Haynes cf. Pitching: RH Tyler Mathis (0-0, 0.00).

KENTUCKY (18-11) — Chad Wright lf; Chris Bisson 2b; Gunner Glad 1b; Braden Kapteyn dh; Cory Farris rf; Keenan Wiley cf; Taylor Black ss; Marcus Nidiffer c; Andy Burns 3b. Pitching: RH Jordan Cooper (1-1, 5.70).

UMPIRES — Scott Kennedy, HP; Keith Shartzer, 1B; Bryan Donnelly, 3B.

Players from Morehead State, Louisville, Eastern Kentucky, Western Kentucky and Kentucky have been selected as pre-season All-Americans. 

And we haven’t even gotten to the Lexington Legends yet. But read on.

The Redlegs are coming! The Redlegs are coming!

The Reds Winter Caravan is scheduled for 14 stops in four states over four days, Jan. 28-31. Three separate caravans will tour simultaneously. Stops open to the public are free, and at each stop two tickets for the Reds 2010 opener (April 5 vs. St. Louis) will be raffled.

Two of the caravans will visit Kentucky. The Southern tour includes Lexington and the Western stops begin with Louisville.

Caravan representatives will take questions from fans and, as long as time permits, sign autographs. A member of the 1990 World Series championship team will be at each stop.

Lineups for the three caravans follow. 

Adam Rosales

NORTHERN — 2008 Gold Glove winner Brandon Phillips; 2009 Southern League all-star and Reds Minor League Player of the Month for June, shortstop Zack Cozart; Hall of Fame broadcaster Marty Brennaman; broadcaster and former Reds pitcher Chris Welsh; Vice President and Assistant General Manager Bob Miller; former Reds outfielder Glenn Braggs; and mascot Gapper.

Scheduled caravan stops (Jan. 28-31):

SOUTHERN — Thursday, 2:30-4:30 p.m., Charleston (W.Va.) Towne Center, and 5:30-8:30 p.m., Huntington (W.Va.) Mall. Saturday, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., Great American Ball Park (Cincinnati); Sunday, 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Fayette Mall (Lexington).

WESTERN — Thursday, 5:30-8 p.m., Louisville Slugger Museum (Louisville). Friday, 1:30-3 p.m., College Mall (Bloomington, Ind.), and 5:30-7:30 p.m., Castleton Square Mall (Indianapolis). Saturday, 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Stoops Automotive (Muncie, Ind.), and 3-5:30 p.m., National Museum of the United States Air Force (Dayton, Ohio). Sunday, 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Millett Hall (Oxford, Ohio).

NORTHERN — Thursday, 5:30-8 p.m., Grand Central Mall (Marietta, Ohio/Parkersburg, W.Va.). Friday, 6:30-8:30 p.m., The Market on State (Athens, Ohio); Saturday, 5-7:30 p.m., Lima (Ohio) Mall; Sunday, 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Polaris Fashion Place (Columbus, Ohio).

Guys who go Ping! at the plate

Ping!Baseball.com has tabbed Morehead State SS Drew Lee  and Louisvillle DH (and 3B) Phil Wunderlich as pre-season second-team All-Americans. Eastern Kentucky 3B Jayson Langfels, Kentucky 2B Chris Bisson and Western Kentucky C Matt Rice are on the third team.

Lee, a senior out of Montgomery County, set the Morehead record for hits (86), batting .413, with 17 homers and 67 RBI last season. He led the Ohio Valley Conference with 159 total bases. Lee is a third-team pick on the Pre-season Louisville Slugger team.

The Eagles open their season Feb. 19 with a four-game series at Mercer.

Wunderlich, a junior from Downers Grove, Ill., led U of L with a .367 batting average last season. He hit 18 doubles, 18 homers and 78 RBI for the Big East champions. He also is a third-team pre-season pick by Louisville Slugger and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA).

The Cardinals open their season Feb. 19, the start of a three-game home series against Bowling Green.

Langfels won the OVC batting title last season with a .441 average. The Lafayette High School grad also led the country in run production, averaging 1.67 RBI per game, and was one of two sophomores named first-team all-OVC. The Lexington native’s 72 RBI for the season ranks third all-time at EKU. He hit six triples, giving him a two-year total of 14, already an EKU career record. He led EKU in homers last season with 12, including a pair of walk-off blasts.

The Colonels open play Feb. 26 with a three-game series at Western Carolina.

Bisson, a junior from Canada (Orleans, Ontario), led UK last season in batting (.360), runs (49), hits (80), triples (3), RBI (52), total bases (101), walks (20) and assists (133). He also was 13-for-15 in stolen-base attempts, with a .414 on-base percentage and .455 slugging percentage. Last summer, he led the Cape Cod League in stolen bases with 36 over 42 games.

Bisson also is an All-Canadian pre-season pick by the Canadian Baseball Network.

The Wildcats begin play Feb. 19 in the Caravelle Resort Invitational at Myrtle Beach, S.C. First up will be Virginia Tech, followed by games against West Virginia and Coastal Carolina.

Rice, a junior from Johnson City, Tenn., helped Western Kentucky to the Sun Belt Conference regular-season title in 2009, hitting .390 with 10 homers and 72 RBI. He had a 31-game hitting streak.

Rice also is an NCBWA pre-season first-team pick.

The Hilltoppers open play Feb. 19 with a three-game home series against Kent State.

Answering a call to the bullpen

In case you missed it, the Lexington Legends will have a new pitching coach in 2010.

Travis Driskill, who filled the role last season, had been ticketed to return. The Houston Astros promoted Driskill to Class AA Corpus Christi after Stan Boroski, who had been with the Hooks, was hired last month by the Tampa Bay Rays for their major league staff.

The new man for the Legends is not new to the game.

 

Rick Aponte (uh-PAHN-tay) is a veteran of more than 30 years in the Astros organization and served as bullpen coach for the Washington Nationals during the 2007 and ’08 seasons.

Last year, he returned to the Houston organization as pitching coach of the Gulf Coast League Astros.

A native of the Dominican Republic, Aponte was a pitcher in the Astros organization, debuting in 1976. He reached the AAA level with Charleston (W.Va.) in 1977 and with Tucson in 1980 and ’81.

Aponte began coaching in the Astros system later in 1981. He managed Houston’s team in the Dominican Summer League from 1993 through 1999.

 

*Speaking of Legends, Astros RHP Chris Sampson who avoided salary arbitration by agreeing to a deal worth $815,000 plus bonuses. Sampson, 31, was 4-2 in 49 relief appearances in 2009 with a 5.02 ERA (31ER/55.1IP) with three saves, 21 walks and 33 strikeouts. … OF Jordan Parraz came to terms with the Kansas City Royals on a one-year deal. … Former Legends C Lou Santangelo has been invited to Houston’s big-league spring training camp as a non-roster player. Astros pitchers and catchers begin workouts at Kissimmee, Fla., on Feb. 20. Position players join workouts Feb. 24. … The Astros begin play in the Grapefruit League on March 4, facing the Nationals.