Baseball

LEXINGTON, Ky. — The No. 25 Kentucky baseball team rallied from a two-run deficit to top the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles 6-4, clinching the series on an overcast Saturday afternoon in front of 2,081 fans at Cliff Hagan Stadium.

Antone DeJesus contributed two doubles, one to lead off the game and the other to score Kentucky’s first two runs. Sean Coughlin, a preseason All-America selection, also delivered two hits, driving in one run.

Kentucky has now plated 65 runs in just six games to open the season, after scoring a school-record 500 runs during the historic 2006 Southeastern Conference Championship season.

Senior sidewinder Dewayne Oxford picked up the win. Starter Chris Rusin worked five innings, allowing one run on four hits. Golden Eagle reliever Brantley Kilgore took the loss after allowing four runs without recording an out.

Kentucky (6-0) goes for the series sweep tomorrow with first pitch set for 1 p.m. EST at Cliff Hagan Stadium. Kentucky ace Greg Dombrowski, a preseason All-American, gets the nod for UK and he will face Tennessee Tech senior right-hander Matt Smith. Fans in Lexington can catch the action via WXRA 1580-AM, with Dick Gabriel on the call.

Tennessee Tech (3-2) got the scoring started in the first inning as second baseman Thomas Nelson singled. Catcher Steve Soper doubled in Nelson for the first run of the game.

Kentucky answered in the second, as Brian Spear led off the inning getting hit by a pitch. Ryan Wilkes singled, advancing Spear. Backstop Tyler Howe got hit by a pitch to load the bases for DeJesus. The centerfielder belted his second double of the game, scoring Wilkes and Spear to give UK a 2-1 lead. DeJesus, a preseason All-SEC selection by SEBaseball.com, has now driven in a team-high tying nine RBI on the season.

After three scoreless innings, Tennessee Tech jumped out to a lead in the sixth, hanging up a three-spot credited to freshman Wildcat freshman pitcher Clint Tilford. Soper and Stuart Meinhart singled and Josh Goodwin doubled to score the two runners. Goodwin scored on a Matt Mihoci single to make it 3-2 Golden Eagles.

For the second time in as many days, Kentucky would not remain behind on the scoreboard, as they plated four runs in the seventh inning to secure the series. Sawyer Carroll, who has opened up his Kentucky career going 12-for-23 with six doubles, led off the inning with a single. Matt McKinney put two runners in scoring position with a double, advancing Carroll. Coughlin drove in Carroll with a hard-hit single out of reach of Tennessee Tech first baseman Stuart Meinhart. Spear doubled down the right-field line to score McKinney. Senior Mike Brown pinch hit for fellow outfielder Billy Grace and hung a sacrifice fly into left field, just enough to advance Spear and score Coughlin to give UK the one-run lead. Kentucky would plate its final run, as Spear plated on a wild pitch to make it 6-4.

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