AUBURN, Ala. — Needing one win to tie the school record for the longest winning streak in school history, the No. 2 Kentucky baseball team stranded a season-high 12 runners on base, as the Auburn Tigers handcuffed the Wildcats hot-hitting offense, handing UK its first loss of the season, 2-0 on a beautiful Friday evening in front of 2,159 fans at Plainsman Park.
Kentucky (19-1, 3-1 Southeastern Conference) got a solid pitching performance from Friday starter Chris Rusin, who kept UK in the ballgame, allowing two runs and striking out 10 in eight complete innings. Rusin suffered the loss, falling to 3-1 on the year.
Auburn shut down the hot bats of the Wildcats, riding a boisterous crowd and magnificent pitching performance from three Tigers, including six shutout innings from starter Grant Dayton. Middle reliever Evan Crawford came in and worked 1 1/3 innings, walking four and striking out two before handing the ball over the closer Bryan Woodall. Woodall tossed the final 1 2/3 innings, allowing one hit and striking out three for his fifth save of the year.
The Wildcats got a multi hit game from leadoff man Keenan Wiley and hits from Collin Cowgill, Brian Spear, Sawyer Carroll and Chris McClendon. UK senior second baseman Ryan Wilkes had his 14-game hit streak snapped, going 0-for-3, including stranding a team-high four runners on base.
UK and Auburn resume the series on Saturday with a 4 p.m. ET first pitch at Plainsman Field. Fans can catch the action live on the Big Blue Sports Network (radio) with Neil Price and Dick Gabriel calling the action. In Lexington, fans can hear the game on WLAP 630-AM and in Louisville, the game can be heard on WKJK 1080-AM. UK right hander Scott Green gets the call to face off with Tiger lefty Corey Luckie.
Twice UK had golden opportunities to score runs in the game, but could not get timely hits to spark a rally. In the first inning, UK got a one-out double off the 30-foot monster in left field from Cowgill. After Spear got hit by a pitch to put two runners on, the SEC?s leading RBI man, Carroll ripped a single into left field. With Cowgill motoring around third to score the first run of the game, he stopped at third, setting up a bases-loaded, one-out situation. Wilkes followed, striking out looking and McClendon hung a fly out to left field, ending the UK threat.
In the fifth, with UK trailing 2-0, UK got its second leadoff hit from Wiley, a blooper to left field. After Cowgill popped out, Spear ripped a double into the right-center field gap. With the speedy Wiley hustling from first, Bianucci fielded the ball off the outfield wall and fired a throw to the cutoff man, who bobbled the ball. With Wiley turning the corner at third, he stopped, setting up a one-out situation with the SEC-leading RBI man, Carroll at the plate with runners in scoring position. Carroll struck out and Wilkes flied out to end the Wildcat threat.
In the top of the ninth, UK got a single from pinch hitter Bryan Rose, but three consecutive strikeouts ended the game.
UK got its leadoff man on base to open a frame in six of nine innings.
Auburn (13-8, 1-3 SEC) got on the board in the first inning, as lead off man Trent Mummey ripped a full-count offering from Rusin into the right-center field gap. After Justin Hargett laid down a sacrifice, Tiger slugger Mike Bianucci ripped a hard ground ball to McClendon at third, who dove to his left to keep the ball in the infield and hold Bianucci to an RBI single. Hunter Morris followed, ripping a high-arching single over Wilkes? head at second base for a single, moving Bianucci to third. With Joseph Sanders at the plate and Bianucci leading off third, Wildcat catcher Marcus Nidiffer received a first-pitch offering and fired a strike to McClendon at third to pick off Bianucci.
Auburn got on the board again in the fourth, as catcher Ryan Jenkins reached with a two-out single through the right side of the UK infield and shortstop Matt Hall plated him with a double to dead centerfield, coming about two feet shy of a homer.
Bianucci led the way, singling in his first three at bats of the game, finishing 3-for-3 with an RBI.
