LEXINGTON ? Junior Michael Bertram belted a three-run walk-off homer to cap a seven-run comeback in the ninth inning as Kentucky rallied to beat Cumberland College, 11-10, on Wednesday night at Cliff Hagan Stadium.
Bertram, the Southeastern Conference?s leading hitter, launched a 2-1 offering from Jake Shaver over the wall in dead centerfield for his second career home run. It was his first walk-off home run at any level of baseball.
?I was sitting dead fastball and he gave it to me right down the middle,? Bertram said. ?It was a great feeling, I?ve never felt anything like this before. As soon as it left the bat, I knew it was gone.?
The win improved Kentucky to 3-1 on the young season. Cumberland, which went 45-11 in 2004 and ended the season ranked fourth in NAIA, dropped to 3-4.
?Cumberland is a really good baseball team,? Cohen said. ?But, we just didn?t have any rhythm defensively or at the plate and we had to search for it. As a coach, it?s something you just have to deal with early. You aren?t going to play well early all the time, but we hung in there.?
Kentucky trailed 10-4 entering the ninth after stranding 12 runners through the first eight innings. Collin Cowgill and Justin Scutchfield led off the inning with walks and both scored when the Patriots committed a pair of errors on JB Schmidt?s grounder to third.
Brian Hastings and Antone DeJesus followed with a single and a double before Shaun Lehmann walked load the bases. A wild pitch scored Hastings from third one pitch before Bertram?s heroics.
?What Michael has worked so hard on is using the middle of the field and that?s all he tried to do there,? Cohen said. ?He?s gotten so much stronger and worked so hard. You just expect that to happen for a player like him because he?s an unbelievable competitor.?
The Wildcats grabbed an early 1-0 lead in the first inning. Lehmann reach on an error to start the game, moved to second on a Bertram walk and took third on John Shelby?s sacrifice bunt. He scored on Cowgill?s fielder?s choice.
Cumberland answered right back as Victor Woolridge doubled to open the second inning and scored on Derek Christerson?s sac fly. The Patriots took the lead with a single run in the fourth, tacked on two unearned runs in the fifth and two more in the sixth. Kentucky could only counter with a run in the fifth and trailed 6-2.
Cumberland starting pitcher Adam Walker, a transfer from baseball powerhouse Clemson, left after the sixth having allowed just two runs on five hits. Kentucky would tag the three pitchers who relieved him for nine runs.
Billy Grace doubled to open the seventh and scored when JB Schmidt belted a two-out double to cut the lead to 6-3. However, Cumberland took advantage of two hit batsmen and two walks to plate three runs in the top of the eighth and stretched the lead to 9-3.
DeJesus manufactured a run in the eighth, but the Patriots countered with a single run in the ninth before the Wildcats miraculous comeback.
Adam Revelette earned the win after working 1 1/3 innings and allowing a single run. He was the fifth Kentucky pitcher of the game, none of which threw three full innings. The Wildcats trotted four freshmen and a junior to the mound.
?We sent four freshmen arms today. Three guys today made their first college appearance and everybody knows your first time you step out there its an experience,? Cohen said.
Kentucky returns to action on Friday at 3 p.m. when it opens a three-game set against Buffalo. Freshman Andrew Albers, who carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning in his first career start last weekend, will likely get the start. UK Baseball winter scarves will be given out to the fans.
