March 25, 2003
Lexington, Ky. –
Kentucky centerfielder Casey Gilvin popped up in front of home plate to lead off the bottom of the ninth inning, but never stopped running, reaching second base when Kent State catcher Pat O’Brien was unable to make the routine catch. Brad Pickrell moved Gilvin to third on a sacrifice bunt and Spencer Graeter drilled a single through the left side of a drawn in infield to give the Bat Cats (9-14, 0-6 SEC) a 3-2 win over the visiting Golden Flashes (7-10, 0-0 MAC).
“Casey’s hustle is what baseball is all about,” Coach Keith Madison said. “That’s why you have to run everything out.”
“(Spencer) Graeter was having trouble seeing the ball early in the game, but he’s a solid hitter and he came through in the clutch late.”
Senior right hander Scott Wade (1-3) threw Kentucky’s first complete game of the season to pick up his first win of the spring. Wade allowed two earned runs while scattering eight hits and striking out five KSU batters. The Kingsport, Tenn., native faced just four batters over the minimum on the afternoon.
“It’s good to get a win like that,” Wade said. “I’ve had some rough outings lately, but today I was throwing the ball like I want to and I was going to go as long as it took to get a win.”
The Golden Flashes got to Wade early, scoring two runs in the top of the second on Kurt Eichorn’s home run over the wall in left center. The second inning was the only frame in which Kent State sent more than three batters to the plate, however, as Wade cruised, getting three double plays from his defense along the way.
“We have a good ball club when we put the pieces together,” Madison said. “Today we got a great effort from Scott Wade and we came through with the clutch defensive plays and hits.”
The UK offense struggled, collecting only four hits, but got a big one from first baseman Mike Breyman, who launched his fifth home run of the season to the opposite field in the fourth inning, scoring Gilvin and tying the game at 2-2. Gilvin was 2-for-4 on the afternoon with two runs. Adam Crowder went 2-for-3 for Kent State.
The same two teams will wrap up a mid-week two game series on Wednesday afternoon at Cliff Hagan Stadium. Game time is slated for 3 p.m. EST.
— UK —
