LEXINGTON, Ky. — The No. 17 Kentucky baseball team etched its name in the UK record books Sunday afternoon at Cliff Hagan Stadium, beating Tennessee-Martin 16-7 to improve to 16-0 on the season, laying claim to the school record for the best season start in the 103-year history of the Wildcat baseball program.
Kentucky?s 16th win gave the club sole possession of the school record, previously held by Keith Madison?s 2000 club, which won its opening 15 games. The win also improves UK?s current regular season home winning streak to 26 games, the longest such streak in the nation.
The Wildcats got a superb offensive performance on an absolutely gorgeous day for baseball, pounding out 20 hits. Mike Brown again led the way for UK, batting 4-for-6 at the plate, driving in three runs, and scoring three times. The senior has now batted 23-for-36 in Kentucky?s last nine games, and the Davis, Calif., native improved his batting average on the week to .632 (12-for-19).
Sean Coughlin provided another huge bat in the potent Wildcat lineup, ripping one of four Wildcat home runs on the day. Coughlin finished his day 3-for-6 with four RBI, improving his season average to .400.
Kentucky ace right-hander Greg Dombrowski delivered a typical performance, working 5 2/3 innings, striking out five. The preseason All-American tossed a season-high 84 pitches before handing the ball over to a trio of Kentucky freshman relievers ? Colby Brown, James Paxton, and Tyler Henry. Dombrowski notched the win, to improve to 3-0 on the season. Skyhawk starter Jacob Smothers took the loss, falling to 0-2.
UK has now scored 201 runs in the first 16 games of the campaign, after setting the school record for runs scored in 2006 with 500. UK has plated 50 more runs (151) then the 2006 club had through the first 16 games. During its three-game sweep of UTM, Kentucky scored a season-high 50 runs. Antone DeJesus, Billy Grace, and Howe each contributed two hits and first baseman Sawyer Carroll pounded out three hits on a 3-for-5 performance at the plate.
Kentucky returns to action on Monday, hosting a 4 p.m. EDT matchup with Cleveland State at Cliff Hagan Stadium. Fans in Lexington can catch the action on WXRA 1580-AM or online at UKathletics.com. For ticket information, contact the UK Ticket Office (859.257.1818).
Kentucky picked up right where it left off after Saturday?s record-breaking 27-0 win over the Skyhawks, scoring three runs in the first and second innings. In the first, UK got a lead-off double from Mike Brown and singles from DeJesus and Carroll loaded the bases. McKinney and Spear each walked in runs and Wright drove in another run after reaching on a fielders choice. The second-inning rally began with a one-out single from Howe. Mike Brown delivered his first career home run, a two-run blast that sailed into the new deck in right field. Carroll tripled, his first career three-bagger, and Coughlin scored him with a single.
Tennessee-Martin (2-10) got on the board in the third, after Dombrowski surrendered three consecutive singles. A play at the plate got the first out and the lone run of the inning came in after Dombrowski hit his first batter of the season with the bases loaded.
UTM scored again in the fifth, pushing across one more run to narrow the UK lead to 6-2. Douglas Nicodemus doubled and came around to score after Chad Green hit into a double-play.
The Wildcats pushed across two more runs in the fifth, after Spear singled and Wright delivered his fourth home run of the season, a two-run mammoth shot over the right-field monster. Wright had now homered a team-high four times in just 25 at bats.
The Skyhawks scored twice again in the sixth, after Lace Renton singled to lead off the inning. Bryce Carden delivered a single and Scott McLean walked to load the bases. Renton scored on the first balk call of the season on Dombrowski and Carden touched the plate courtesy of a Kentucky fielding error.
UK scored three more times in the sixth, after Mike Brown led off the second inning of the day with a perfectly placed double down the left-field line. Carroll walked and Coughlin crushed a home run to the deepest part of the Kentucky ballpark, dead-center field.
UTM would score two in the seventh, after Kyle Dudley reached on an error and Renton brought him home with a home run.
The Wildcats got the first-career home run from Howe to lead off the bottom half of the seventh, another line-drive blast sent into the batter?s eye in center field.
Tennessee-Martin tacked on its final run in the eighth, after Green singled and Dudley walked. Renton drove in Green with a single down the right-field line.
Kentucky notched a four-run eighth inning, starting with a McKinney walk, a Spear single, and a Wright walk. Grace drove in McKinney with a single and Mike Brown drove in Spear with his fourth hit of the game. DeJesus set the final margin with his two-run single to give UK a 16-7 win.
The three-game sweep marked the final non-conference weekend tune-up for the Wildcats, who begin its Southeastern Conference slate with a three-game series with Arkansas next weekend at Cliff Hagan Stadium.
Post Game Notes
Team Records and Series Notes
Kentucky improves to 16-0 on the season, the best start in the 103-year history of the Wildcat baseball program. The 2000 squad opened its season running off 15 consecutive wins.
Kentucky has now won 26 consecutive games at Cliff Hagan Stadium, the longest home regular season winning streak in college baseball.
UK?s 26-game win streak at Cliff Hagan Stadium is a school record. UK set the mark by finishing the season winning the final 13 games of the regular season in 2006.
Kentucky now leads the all-time series with Tennessee-Martin 5-0.
With the loss, Tennessee-Martin falls to 2-10 on the season.
Kentucky goes for 17-0 Monday when it faces off with Cleveland State. First pitch is set for 4 p.m. EDT at Cliff Hagan Stadium.
Team Notes
The Wildcats have now plated 201 runs in just 16 games, after setting the school record with 500 runs scored during 2006. Through 16 games a year ago, UK had scored 151 runs.
Kentucky scored a season-high 50 runs in its three-game sweep of Tennessee-Martin.
Kentucky has had 10 or more hits in 11 of 16 games.
UK had 20 hits in the game, bringing its 16-game total to 204.
Kentucky drew a seven walks on the day, bringing its 16-game total to an SEC-high 117.
Individual Notes
Mike Brown continued his hot hitting, going 3-for-6 at the plate. Over the last nine games, Brown is 23-for-36. Brown scored three times and drove in three RBI.
Brown hit his first-career home run Sunday. The senior raised his average on the season to .531 (26-for-49).
Sean Coughlin drove in a team-high four runs during a 3-for-6 performance at the plate.
The senior catcher hit his third home run of the season, the 20th in his two-year career. Brock Wright hit his team-high fourth home run of the season. Wright had homered four times in just 25 at bats. Wright homered in Saturday?s 27-0 win, giving him home runs in back-to-back games for the first time in his career.
Brian Spear tied a career-high with three hits. Spear has catapulted his batting average to .431, second on the team.
Tyler Howe delivered his first career home run, part of a 2-for-4 day at the plate.
Greg Dombrowski forced the Skyhawks into nine ground outs, hurling 5 2/3 innings and striking out five. Dombrowski tossed a season-high 84 pitches, to improve to 3-0 on the season.
Ryan Wilkes had his consecutive start streak snapped at 47 games.
