CHARLESTON, S.C. ? Freshman Andrew Albers carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning in his first career start to lift Kentucky to a 6-1 season-opening victory over Appalachian State on Friday in the Buccaneer Classic.
The Wildcats won their season opener for the second straight year. The Mountaineers fell to 1-4 on the year.
?This was a great way for us to start the year,? said Kentucky head coach John Cohen. ?We got a great performance from a freshman, pitching at this level for the first time.?
Kentucky pounded out 12 hits, led by junior Michael Bertram?s (Lexington, Ky./Lafayette) 4-for-5 performance. Sophomore John Shelby (Lexington, Ky./Tates Creek) and senior Matt Fritts (Louisville, Ky./Male) each went 2-for-4 and Bertram and Fritts drove in two a piece.
?Bertram had a great day at the plate, but he wasn?t the only one,? Cohen said. ?We had seven guys get hits and it?s good to get everybody off to a good start this season.?
However, the story of the day was Albers (North Battlefield, Saskatchewan/John Paul Collegiate II). He kept the Appalachian State hitters off balance all day and threw only 79 pitches in his eight innings of work. His final line included one run ? unearned ? on two hits with a walk and a strikeout.
?The guys weren?t talking to me,? Albers said of the dugout atmosphere during the late innings. ?I saw the scoreboard. You stay focused and stay in the game, but it?s hard not to know what going on.?
Shelby got Kentucky going in the second inning with a leadoff triple and scored when second baseman Joey Robinson dropped a pop fly from Fritts. The Wildcats pushed the lead to 2-0 in the third when Shelby singled home Bertram with two outs.
The Mountaineers capitalized on three Wildcat errors in the fourth to cut the lead in half. Chris Baker reached when Shelby was unable to make a play on a tough hop. He advanced to third on an errant pick off attempt and came home on a routine ground ball. However, Albers closed the door by retiring the next 13 batters.
?It was great to go out and throw well,? Albers said. ?My teammates made it easy. I just had to go out and throw strikes and the guys behind me got the job done.?
Kentucky blew the game open in the bottom half of the eighth. Freshman Collin Cowgill (Lexington, Ky./Henry Clay) led off with a double and Fritts and senior J.B. Schmidt (Cynthia, Ky./Harrison County) followed with singles. Bertram?s two-out single plated two for the final margin.
Junior Adam Revelette (Lexington, Ky./U. of Dayton) struck out the side in the ninth to close the game out.
The Wildcats return to action on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. when they face tournament host Charleston Southern.
