Mark Maloney on Kentucky sports

A tip of the cap to Adam Revelette, general manager of the Lexington Hustlers, for providing a season preview. …

The Lexington Hustlers open up their third season of play in the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League on Friday, and possess a roster that gives head coach Kyle Medley a multitude of options. Lexington will represent 18 different collegiate institutions, several of which include conference champions and NCAA postseason contenders.

Hustlers season tickets will be on sale through Friday, and are $25/person. Upon purchase, season ticket holders will be put on a pass list that will get them into all regular season home games. General admission tickets are $5 each.

Here is a positional breakdown of the 2012 Hustlers roster:

Infielders

The 2012 Hustlers will flash some impressive leather at all infield positions. Morehead State’s Chase Greenwell had a phenomenal spring, batting .338 with a team-high 16 doubles in 2012. The Elizabethtown native also fielded an impressive .947 at shortstop for the Eagles.

Taylor Rozier will see most of his time at first base this summer, but can also play corner outfield. This past spring, Rozier batted .250 with six doubles in 29 games for Wofford College.

Corey Bays played in 20 games for Murray State as a true freshman, starting eight. Bays is an alum of Henry Clay High School, where the Hustlers will play their home games this summer.

Nick Sergakis, who redshirted this past season for Southern Conference champion Coastal Carolina, and Olney Central’s Caleb Eickhoff — who played for Medley’s Marion Bobcats last summer — will also play several infield positions over the summer. Another solid option is Matt Phipps, who played in 37 games for EKU in 2012, starting eight.

Also expected to be a solid contributor is Middle Tennessee’s Johnny Thomas, who was recently named to the All-Sun Belt Second Team. The native of Louisiana started all 59 games for the Blue Raiders this season, batting at a .277 clip with a team-leading 17 doubles and seven home runs. He made just five errors all season, turning in a sparkling .982 fielding percentage.

“We were really impressed with the success our infielders had this past spring, particularly with defense,” said Medley. “We know these guys are going to hit, but the ability to make the average play and to turn double plays is going to be very important. I also really like that most of these guys can play second, third and shortstop.”

Outfield

The Hustlers will boast an extremely talented and athletic core of outfielders this summer.

“I’m really excited to watch these guys play,” added Medley. “They all can really go get it in the outfield, and are going to be all over the base paths this summer.”

Duran Elmore, who made the OVC All-Freshman Team, started 50 games as a freshman at Morehead State, clubbing three home runs and swiping 16 bases for the Eagles.

David Simmons, who started 33 games for Western Kentucky, also has lightning speed and the ability to play all three outfield positions.

Matt Honchel, who earned MAC Freshman of the Year honors and was also a First-Team All-MAC selection, won the conference batting title, turning in a .401 clip during the regular season for the Miami Redhawks. Honchel, who prepped at Mercer County High School, led all NCAA freshmen in batting average.

2011 Great Lakes League All-Star Sam Kidd, who transferred from UK to Delta State, also returns for the summer. The Statesmen, who were NCAA Division II national runner-ups in 2012, started Kidd (who hit .310 with four  homers and stole 19 bases) in all 64 of their games this season.

Catchers

Medley will have the luxury of rotating three catchers in 2012, including Ryan Akins, who hit a blistering .340 at Berea College as a freshman. The versatile Stephen Hoagland will see action behind the plate and in both the infield and outfield this summer. The former Lexington Christian Academy standout appeared in eight games for Kentucky, who climbed to No. 1 in national polls this past spring. Steve Ferraro played in 25 games for OVC Champion Eastern Kentucky in 2012, starting 10.

Pitchers

The 2012 Hustlers will feature a balanced pitching staff this summer, with seven left-handers and seven right-handed arms.

“I’m looking forward to watching these guys settle into roles this summer,” said Medley. “We’re wide open in terms of our starting rotation and who were use out of the pen.”

Lefty Austin Clay went 4-4 in his freshman campaign at Western Kentucky, and emerged as one of the Hilltoppers’ top starting pitchers in 2012.

Connor Asay returns to the Hustlers for 2012. The versatile right-hander, who redshirted at USC-Sumpter this past season, threw 34.2 innings for the Hustlers in 2011 and started three games.

Brent Cobb pitched in 25 games for EKU this past spring, holding opponents to a .239 batting average against. Fellow Colonel Austin Rexroat, who appeared in 15 games, will also bolster the bullpen for the Hustlers in 2012. RHP Clay Cinnamon, another Mercer County product, appeared in eight games for Miami University, starting two.

Southpaw Jordan Cooper maintained a 3.74 ERA for Middle Tennessee in 2012, holding opposing batters to a .220 batting average.

Left-handers Jakson Deyer and Clay Hall, who  redshirted at Louisville and Georgetown (respectively) this past season, will also contribute valuable innings for Lexington.

Western Kentucky’s Ian Tompkins, who averaged better than a strikeout per inning in 21 appearances, is another southpaw that joins the squad for the summer.

RHP Trent Martin, who will be a redshirt freshman at Morehead State next fall, is a hard-throwing option out of the bullpen.

Georgetown College’s Shaun Meyer went 3-0 for the Tigers, owning a masterful 1.27 ERA. He surrendered just 18 hits in 35.1 innings, good for a .145 batting average against.

LHP Jake Hall went 5-3 with a 3.78 ERA at Lincoln Trail this past season. Logan Shaftner owned a 2-0 record for Parkland College, turning in a 4.82 ERA for the Cobras. Both will contend for starting roles.

Rounding out the staff, southpaw Matthew Miller will also see substantial innings for the Hustlers. Miller pitched in 20 games for the Atlantic 10 Champion Dayton Flyers.

“It’s going to be a blast to watch our players develop this summer,” Medley said. “Everyone in our organization is looking forward to a truly great season.”

The Hustlers host the Xenia Scouts on June 8 to open up their Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League season. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. All fans in attendance will receive a free magnetic schedule, while supplies last.

A tip of the hat to Adam Revelette, general manager of the Lexington Hustlers, for the following information.

The Hustlers are set to begin their second season in the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate (Baseball) League on Tuesday.

The Hustlers, who will play home games primarily at Lexington Catholic High School, will be in the GLSCL South Division, with the Cincinnati Steam, Hamilton Joes, Southern Ohio Copperheads and Xenia Scouts. The GLSCL  North is made up of the Grand Lake Mariners, Lake Erie Monarchs, Licking County Settlers, Lima Locos and Stark County Terriers.

The league all-star game is scheduled July 13 at Great American Ball Park, home of the Cincinnati Reds.

The GLSCL prides itself on providing collegiate student-athletes an opportunity to compete against nationally elite players. As a non-profit organization, it was the first league to be sanctioned by the NCAA and receive funding from Major League Baseball. Now in its 24th season, the GLSCL has had more than 70 players who went on to reach the major leagues.

The Hustlers will begin their 46-game schedule Tuesday with an exhibition against the Kentucky Baseball Club, set for 4 p.m., at Transylvania University. A full schedule and season-tickets sales are available via the team website: www.lexingtonhustlers.com

In their inaugural season, the Hustlers featured 24 players from Kentucky. This year, the team has 22 Kentuckians.

The roster includes three pitchers from Eastern Kentucky University (Chase Greene, Matt Harris and Brent Cobb); Georgetown pitcher Jason McGinnis; Kentucky pitcher Sam Kidd and multi-positional J.T. Riddle; Louisville catcher Kyle Gibson; Morehead State’s Noah Smallwood (pitcher), Eric Bainer (catcher) and Bud Morton (infielder); Northern Kentucky outfielder Taylor Russell; St. Catharine pitcher Josh Jillson; and Western Kentucky outfielder Tanner Smith.

Adam Revelette

“We are very excited about our second year of operations with the Hustler,” Revelette said. “We have a fantastic group of players and are looking forward to providing them with a great experience this summer. Our goal this year is to improve everything, great and small, and I’m certain we’re on our way in doing that. Our current focus is establishing host families for our out-of-town players. Since our roster will be changing all summer long, it’s important that we have the luxury to add players from outside the Central Kentucky area if necessary.”

Ways to support the team include sponsorships, contributions, purchase of merchandise and/or tickets, and board membership.

For more information, see the team website: www.lexingtonhustlers.com

For information on becoming a host family, contact: lexingtonhustlers@gmail.com 

Braden Kapteyn

Cory Farris

Chris Bisson

EIGHTH INNING — RH Braden Kapteyn came out of the UK bullpen to open the inning. He struck out Adrian Morales. Pinch-hitters Evan Marzilli and Brady Thomas lined to first and struck out, respectively. Marzilli stayed in the game in LF, Thomas at C. The Gamecocks also brought in their eighth pitcher of the game, RH Ethan Carter. Marcus Nidiffer coaxed a leadoff walk and was bunted to second by Taylor Black. Keenan Wiley was hit by a pitch. Cory Farris lined an RBI-double to the right-field corner, Wiley going to third. That brought another Carolina pitching change, this time going to RH Patrick Sullivan. With the infield pulled in, Neiko Johnson walked on five pitches to load the bases. Chris Bisson lined a first-pitch, two-run single to right, Johnson holding up at second. The Wildcats then pulled off a double steal, a run scoring when Thomas’ throw to third got away for an error. Going to the ninth inning: Kentucky 9, South Carolina 3. 

Alex Meyer

SEVENTH INNING — Kentucky RH Alex Meyer struck out the Nos. 2-3-4 batters in a perfect seventh inning. In the bottom of the inning, Cory Farris pinch-hit for DH Michael Williams. Farris fanned. Neiko Johnson was hit by a pitch, then stole second, a call disputed by Carolina Coach Ray Tanner. Chris Bisson walked on a full-count pitch. Chad Wright’s 4-6 fielder’s choice put runners on the corners with two outs. Gunner Glad hit a high chopper, which caught SS Bobby Haney tried to short-hop. He was unable to come up with the ball, though, for a run-scoring error. Wright stopped at second. LH Tyler Webb came in to pitch, getting Lance Ray on a fly to left. After seven innings: Kentucky 5, South Carolina 3.

SIXTH INNING — Carolina got a leadoff single from Adam Matthews and a two-out walk from Scott Wingo. Both were stranded when leadoff batter Whit Merrifield grounded into a force play, dropping him to 0-for-4 in the game and 1-for-13 in the series. Carolina went with another pitcher in the bottom of the inning, RH Matt Price. He set the Wildcats down in order. After six innings: Kentucky 4, South Carolina 3.

Chad Wright

FIFTH INNING — Carolina’s Christian Walker laced a one-out single up the middle, ending Alex Meyer’s string of consecutive batters retired at eight. UK’s Keenan Wiley went to the warning track in straightaway center to flag down fly balls by Jackie Bradley Jr. for the first out and Nick Ebert for the second. Adrian Morales struck out to strand Walker. Neiko Johnson led off UK’s half of the inning with a single. Gamecocks Coach Ray Tanner again went to his bullpen, pulling RH Jose Mata in favor of LH Michael Roth. Chris Bisson tried to bunt Johnson ahead but got too much on the ball and Roth threw out Johnson at second. Bisson stole second, though, and scored on Chad Wright’s single up the middle. Tanner called to his bullpen for RH John Taylor. Gunner Glad fouled out and LH Steven Neff became the Gamecocks’ fourth pitcher of the inning. On Neff’s first pitch, Wright stole second, but was stranded when Lance Ray struck out. After five innings: Kentucky 4, South Carolina 3.

Taylor Black

FOURTH INNING — The Gamecocks went down in order for the second inning in a row. UK got its third solo homer of the game, a one-out drive down the short (310-foot) right-field line by Taylor Black. His ninth dinger of the season tied the game at 3. Keenan Wiley followed with a single to right, knocking out Gamecocks RH Jay Brown. Coach Ray Tanner turned to RH submariner Jose Mata. Wiley was thrown out trying to steal and Michael Williams struck out.  After four innings: Kentucky 3, South Carolina 3.

THIRD INNING — Carolina went down 1-2-3 on grounders to 2B Chris Bisson, the first of which was an outstanding play on a ball up the middle

Marcus Nidiffer

and robbed Adrian Morales of a hit. UK’s Neiko Johnson drew a leadoff walk. One out later, he advanced to second on Chad Wright’s groundout. Then, as Gunner Glad drew a walk, Johnson stole third. However, Lance Ray lined out to second. After three innings: South Carolina 3, Kentucky 2.

Adrian Morales

Adam Matthews

Gunner Glad

FIRST INNING — Kentucky RH Alex Meyer, making his first appearance since April 11 due to mononucleosis, retired the first two batters he faced, then ran into a storm. Christian Walker reached on a fielding error by 2B Chris Bisson. Nick Ebert was hit by a pitch. Adrian Morales singled up the middle to drive in Walker and move Ebert to second. Adam Matthews singled to right, scoring Ebert and advancing Morales to third. Morales scored on a passed ball charged to Marcus Nidiffer, making it 3-0. Kyle Enders was hit by a pitch. Finally, Bobby Haney struck out. Gunner Glad put Kentucky on the board, driving a first-pitch offering far over the wall down the left-field line. His 11th homer of the season also pushed his hitting streak to 11 games and gave him 27 consecutive games reaching safely. After one inning: South Carolina 3, Kentucky 1.

Pre-game — South Carolina and Kentucky are about set to begin the deciding game in a three-game Southeastern Conference baseball series at Cliff Hagan Stadium.

The Gamecocks won Friday’s opener 13-9. Kentucky bounced back Saturday with a 2-1 triumph.

Sunday’s starting lineups:

SOUTH CAROLINA (36-10 overall, 17-6 SEC) — Whit Merrifield RF; Jackie Bradley Jr. CF; Christian Walker 1B; Nick Ebert DH; Adrian Morales 3B; Adam Matthews LF; Kyle Enders C; Bobby Haney SS; Scott Wingo 2B. Pitching: RH Jay Brown (2-0, 4.72).

KENTUCKY (25-21, 8-15) — Chris Bisson 2B; Chad Wright LF; Gunner Glad 3B; Lance Ray 1B; Marcus Nidiffer C; Taylor Black SS; Keenan Wiley CF; Michael Williams DH; Neiko Johnson RF. Pitching: RH Alex Meyer (4-2, 7.30).

UMPIRES — Keith Sanders HP; Tony Maners 1B; Randy Watkins 3B.

Weather — 50 degrees, wind 4 mph from the north.

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.

Gary Henderson

Comments from Kentucky baseball coach Gary Henderson on the Wildcats’ 11-6 victory over Xavier, Tuesday at Cliff Hagan Stadium.

Marcus Nidiffer

Kentucky 11, Xavier 6: UK defensive changes in the seventh: Marcus Nidiffer (pinch-hitter) remained in the game as catcher; Gunner Glad moved from third base to first; Andy Burns took over at third, batting in the No. 7 slot where 1B Lance Ray had been. Nothing for Xavier in the top of the inning.

Chad Wright

The Wildcats got a one-out single up the middle by Lance Ray. Marcus Nidiffer, pinch-hitting for Luke Maile, flied to center. Ray moved to second when Taylor Black was nicked by a pitch. Ray and Black scored on Chad Wright’s second double of the game, this one to the left-field corner. Wright came home on Chris Bisson’s third hit of the game, a sharp single to right-center. Bisson advanced on his second steal of the game and Braden Kapteyn walked. Xavier went to the bullpen, calling on 6-foot-5, 260-pound RH Zac Richard, who escaped further damage.

Kentucky 6, Xavier 5: In the fifth, Xavier greeted reliever Kyle Jackson with back-to-back singles up the middle by Bobby Freking and Phil Bauer. Freking was forced at third when Matt Kleifges tried to bunt the runners ahead. Ryan Bellamy singled to shallow left, which should have loaded the bases. When Chad Wright bobbled the ball in left, though, Bauer was able to score. Nick Kennedy came in to take over from Jackson on the mound. Kennedy caught Bellamy straying from first but Bellamy broke for second and 1B Lance Ray’s throw to second hit the runner in the back. Kennedy caught Seth Willoughby looking at a third strike, but walked John McCambridge to load the bases. Kennedy left the bases jammed, striking out Drew Schmidt.

Taylor Black

Kentucky 6, Xavier 4 — With one out in the top of the fourth, Xavier’s John McCambridge reached on a bunt single, stole second and took third on a groundout. He scored on Neil Lindgren’s grounder, which 2B Chris Bisson muffed for his second error of the game.

The tie didn’t last long. Lance Ray led off the bottom of the inning with an infield single. One out later, Taylor Black crushed his first homer of the season, far over the left-field wall, to make it 6-4. Xavier starter Brian Muransky struck out Chad Wright, then gave way to RH Josh Deeg.

To open the fifth, UK called to the bullpen for RH Kyle Jackson.

Cory Farris

Kentucky 4, Xavier 3 — RH Jordan Cooper took over UK pitching chores from Sam Kidd to open the third inning. Cooper walked leadoff man Ben Thomas. Bobby Freking singled up the middle, Thomas taking second. Phil Bauer bunted the runners to second and third. Both scored on Matt Kleifges’ single down the right-field line. Kleifges tried to stretch the hit to a double, but was gunned down, RF Cory Farris to SS Taylor Black.

Kentucky came back in the bottom of the inning with Cory Farris’ one-out, two-run homer to right. Chris Bisson, who led off the inning with his second hit of the game, also scored.

                           This just in from Richmond …

Eastern Kentucky has defeated Miami (Ohio) 7-3 at Turkey Hughes Field. Both teams are 8-10 after the Colonels snapped a four-game losing streak. LH Greg Terry (2-1) worked six innings to get the win. Jayson Langfels, Richie Allen and Jacob Daniel each had two hits for EKU. Anthony Ottrando and Michael Garcia each drove in two runs.

                 Back to the Wildcats and Musketeers …

Kentucky 2, Xavier 1 — In the top of the second, back-to-back errors by SS Taylor Black and Chris Bisson to start the inning and a two-out hit batsman loaded the bases for Neil Lindgren. RH Sam Kidd caught Lindgren looking at strike three.

Keenan Wiley led off the UK second with a double to right-center, then took third on a wild pitch. Lance Ray walked. After Luke Maile took a called third strike, Taylor Black put down a sacrifice bunt to score Wiley.

Xavier 1, Kentucky 1 – Xavier scratched out a run in the top of the first. John McCambridge led off with a high-hop single that pitcher Sam Kidd couldn’t field cleanly. A groundout moved McCambridge to second. He scored on Neil Lindgren’s looping single down the right-field line.

UK countered in the bottom of the inning. Chad Wright led off with a double to the gap in left-center, then took third on Chris Bisson’s bloop single down the left-field line. Braden Kapteyn’s line-drive single to right scored Wright.

Kentucky (15-5) is taking on Xavier (4-14) at Cliff Hagan Stadium.

Starting lineups

XAVIER — John McCambridge CF; Drew Schmidt 2B; Neil Lindgren C; Ben Thomas DH; Bobby Freking 1B; Phil Bauer SS; Matt Kleifges LF; Ryan Bellamy RF; Seth Willoughby 3B. Pitching — RH Brian Muransky (0-4, 10.66).

KENTUCKY –Chad Wright LF; Chris Bisson 2B; Braden Kapteyn DH; Cory Farris RF; Gunner Glad 3B; Keenan Wiley CF; Lance Ray 1B; Luke Maile C; Taylor Black SS. Pitching — RH Sam Kidd (1-1, 6.91).

Umpires — Keith Schartzer HP; Scott Kennedy 1B; Bob Howard 3B.

Murray State took advantage of six UK errors over the first six innings en route to a 7-5 victory at Cliff Hagan Stadium.

Six errors by the 22nd-ranked Cats are the most by a UK team since another six-spot in March 2005 vs. Toledo.

The Thoroughbreds beat UK for the first time since 1997 and for only the second time ever in Lexington.

The Wildcats used 17 players, including four pitchers. Or five, depending on your viewpoint.

Chris Craycraft

A game that began in 45-degree-and-falling weather also featured Murray’s Chris Craycraft, who began his collegiate career at UK, notching the save.

After starter Sam Kidd (1-1), Braden Kapteyn and Nick Kennedy came out of the bullpen. Mike Kaczmarek came on for the last two outs of the eighth inning. Kennedy, who moved from the mound to first base when Kaczmarek entered, went back to the mound to work a perfect ninth inning.

“Really pleased with Nick’s effort,” UK Coach Gary Henderson said. “Kept his poise. And even Sam Kidd’s poise was very good. We put him in a miserable spot and he kept battling. … And Mike Kaczmarek. The bullpen, they did a good job.”

Dan Huff

Murray right-hander Dan Huff (1-2) gave up four runs, including one unearned, and 10 hits over eight innings. He threw 131 pitches, 84 for strikes, fanning six and walking two.

Craycraft, out of Henry Clay High School, closed out his former team, but not before putting the potential winning run on base. Craycraft had thrown 104 pitches three days earlier.

“I wasn’t really expecting to throw today,” he said. “I just came to … see family and stuff. But it’s always fun when you get back out there and throw against them.”

Inheriting a 7-4 lead, Craycraft yielded two walks and two singles to make it 7-5 with the bases loaded and no outs.

“I couldn’t find the strike zone to start out,” Craycraft said. “I just figured I’d get my release point back, throw the corners and let them get themselves out.”

Wes Cunningham

He got Cory Farris to hit a sharp grounder. First baseman Wes Cunningham stepped on the bag, then fired to the plate in time to cut down Chad Wright for a double play. Gunner Glad then flied to left.

“That was a great play by Wes,” Craycraft said. “Stayed in front of it and made a good, strong throw to the plate.”

Henderson was gracious in sizing up Craycraft’s performance.

“Any time you see one of your ex-players do well you’re happy for them,” he said. “I’m glad things are going well for Chris.”

The Thoroughbreds (7-8) led 7-1 through 3 1/2 innings.

Two errors led to a run in the second. Cunningham belted a three-run homer in the third. Another error, a walk and hit batsman triggered a three-run fourth.

Braden Kapteyn

Chad Wright

Gunner Glad

UK (13-3) got solo homers from Kapteyn in the second, Wright in the fifth and Glad in the sixth. Farris singled and scored in the fourth and pinch-hitter Chris Bisson singled in a run in the ninth.

“We did a good job of chipping away but, obviously, the whole ball game is the errors,” Henderson said. “You put yourself in that big a hole, it makes it really tough to get out of it. While I appreciate our kids’ effort — and it was good — you can’t make a game that difficult for yourself.”

Wright, Glad and Murray’s Cunningham all had three-hit games.

The Cats outhit the Breds 12-7.

UK’s Andy Burns had a fifth-inning single to extend his hitting streak to 12 games. Keenan Wiley also had a hit, stretching his streak to 10 games, and Kapteyn’s homer extended his hititng streak to nine games.

Both teams return to action at home on Wednesday. UK will take on Wright State at 6:30 p.m. Murray will face Southern Illinois at 3 p.m. (2 central).

Kentucky scored a run in the ninth and had the bases loaded with no outs, but could not score again as Murray State held on for a 7-5 non-conference baseball game at Cliff Hagan Stadium.

Jason Laws

The Thoroughbreds (as Murray is known in baseball only) put up an unearned run in the top of the second.

Jason Laws reached on a fielding error by first baseman Gunner Glad. DH Colton Moore hit a potential double-play grounder to Neiko Johnson. But the second baseman tried to tag Laws. He missed, dropped the ball, then put his throw towards first base into the UK dugout to put runners on second and third with no outs.

UK right-hander Sam Kidd got Jonathan Craycraft on an infield fly, but Laws scored when Bryan Propst grounded out to short.

Braden Kapteyn

The Wildcats took little time to tie. Braden Kapteyn led off the bottom of the second with his first homer of the season, lining a shot over the left-field wall.

Wes Cunningham

Murray’s three-run third got going when Zach Noonan drew a one-out walk. He moved to second on Elliot Frey’s single up the middle. Wes Cunningham cashed in with his sixth homer of the year, to the scoreboard in center field.

In the bottom of the inning, UK wasted a two-out double by Chad Wright.

Murray kept up the attack in the fourth, again helped by a UK defensive lapse.

Jonathan Craycraft, out of Henry Clay High School, led off with a ground ball. Second baseman Neiko Johnson bobbled the ball for his second error of the game. Bryan Propst’s single moved Craycraft to second and Cory Hodskins bunted the runners to second and third.

Brandon Elliott’s bloop single down the right-field line scored Craycraft and moved Propst to third. UK Coach Gary Henderson pulled right-hander Sam Kidd in favor of Kapteyn, the DH.

Kapteyn hit the first batter he faced, Noonan, to load the bases, then walked Frey to force in a run.

Another scored on Cunningham’s single to right, making it 7-1.

Only a nifty double play contained the damage, as Kapteyn got Laws to ground into a 3-6-1 (Glad-to-Black-to-Kapteyn) double play to end the inning.

The Wildcats scored a run in the bottom o f the inning. With one out, UK loaded the bases on Cory Farris’ line single off the glove of first baseman Cunningham, a bunt single by Gunner Glad and a Cunningham throwing error that enabled Keenan Wiley to reach base. Farris scored when Michael Williams grounded out to first.

Defensive changes for Kentucky: Glad moves to second base. Coming in to play first, batting in the leadoff spot, is Lance Ray.

In the fifth, Murray loaded the bases with two outs via a walk, error and hit batsman. Nick Kennedy came out of the bullpen to retire Noonan.

Chad Wright

Gunner Glad

UK cut the margin to 7-3 when Chad Wright knocked a one-out homer to the party deck in right-center, his second dinger of the season.

UK’s sixth error of the game helped put Kennedy in a jam in the sixth. With one out and runners at second and third, Kennedy fanned Colton Moore and got Craycraft to ground out.

Glad led off the bottom of the sixth with his third hit of the game — a home run to the scoreboard. Glad has two homers this season.

Neither team scored in the seventh or eighth.

Murray right-hander Dan Huff, who threw more than 130 pitches gave way to Chris Craycraft to start the ninth. Craycraft, a right-hander out of Henry Clay, began his collegiate career with UK.

After Luke Maile drew a leadoff walk, Wright laced his third hit of the game, a single through the right side. Pinch-runner Brian Adams advanced to second. Andy Burns drew a full-count walk to load the bases for pinch-hitter Chris Bisson.

His sharp single to center scored Adams and kept the bases loaded with no outs.

However, a hard-hit grounder by Farris was fielded by Cunningham, who stepped on first and threw home just in time to double-up Wright. Laws, the catcher, did well to hang on to the ball.

Glad flied to left, leaving Murray with the 7-5 win.

Starting lineups

Murray State — Zach Noonan, LF; Elliot Frey, CF; Wes Cunningham, 1B; Jason Laws, C; Colton Moore, DH; Jonathan Craycraft, 2B; Bryan Propst, RF; Cory Hodskins, 3B; Brandon Elliott, SS. Pitching: RH Dan Huff (0-2, 5.60).

Kentucky — Neiko Johnson, 2B; Chad Wright, LF; Andy Burns, 3B; Braden Kapteyn, DH; Cory Farris, RF; Gunner Glad, 1B; Keenan Wiley, CF; Michael Williams, C; Taylor Black, SS. Pitching: RH Sam Kidd (1-0, 6.23).

Umpires — Nathan Huber, HP; Brandon Cooper, 1B; Clarence Coleman, 3B.

James Paxton

The 2009 Major League Baseball Draft selections include four Kentucky Wildcats, the fourth consecutive season in with four or more Cats were drafted.

In addition, seven of UK’s recruits for the 2010 season were taken in the draft.

Over the last four drafts, 22 Wildcats have been selected, including seven who went in the fifth round or better.

Chris Rusin, Cubs fourth-rounder

The Toronto Blue Jays picked Paxton in Tuesday’s supplemental first round, 37th overall.

The Chicago Cubs took Rusin in Wednesday’s fourth round, 140th overall.

Chris Wade

Shortstop Chris Wade, a third-year sophomore shortstop out of Lexington Christian Academy, was picked by the Florida Marlins in 11th round.

Clint Tilford

The Colorado Rockies selected junior right-hander Clint Tilford in the 31st round.

UK signees who were selected:

* RHP Steven Inch (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada), sixth round, Phillies;

* RHP Jordan Cooper (Shelbyville, Tenn.), 17th round, Pirates;

* RHP Keith Butler (Morgantown/Butler County), 24th round, Cardinals;

* LHP Taylor Rogers (Littleton, Colo.), 37th round, Orioles;

* RHP Sam Kidd (Hartford/Ohio County), 39th round, Phillies;

* C Luke Maile (Crestview Hills/Covington Catholic), 43rd round, Red Sox;

* CF Brian Adams (Cumming, Ga.), 45th round, Reds.

Adams is a UK football signee, projected as a receiver after having played primarily at quarterback in high school. He is considering playing both football and baseball for UK.