Wade Goes the Distance as Cats Triumph, 4-2
Box Score
Scott Wade threw his first complete game of the year, yielding only five hits and twoearned runs en route to picking up his first win of the season, as the University ofKentucky baseball team defeated Kent State, 4-2, in the Wildcats home opener onFriday, March 2.
UK (4-7) continued its home dominance over non-conference opponents. With Fridayswin, the Cats have won 15 of their last 16 games against non-SEC teams at Cliff HaganStadium.
Kent State got on the board in the top of the first inning. With two outs and no runnerson, John VanBenschoten sent a Wade delivery over the right-center field wall for his firsthome run of the season. KSU (1-3) starting pitcher Dirk Hayhurst held the Wildcats hitless until Cory Hahnstepped to the plate in the bottom of the third inning and belted his second homer of theseason, tying the score at one.
UK added two runs in the fifth. Jeff Tolotti singled to leadoff the inning, and with one out,Caleb Brock singled to center and advanced to second on a fielding error by the centerfielder. With runners at second and third and Hahn at bat, Hayhurst uncorked a wildpitch, allowing Tolotti to score and Brock to move to third. Hahn followed with a single,collecting his second RBI of the day, and giving the Cats a 3-1 lead. Wade, who had held the Golden Flashes at bay since the first, surrendered a solitary runin the sixth when Dave Mattled singled, scoring Eric OBrien who had doubled ahead ofhim.
The Wildcats would regain their two-run advantage in the bottom of the sixth.Back-to-back doubles by Vince Harrison and Seth Morris accounted for the fourth UKrun of the afternoon.
Wade would allow only one KSU batter to reach base in the seventh, and pitched aperfect eighth and ninth inning to complete the game. With the win, Wade improved to 1-2 on the season and lowered his ERA from 3.18 to2.77. It was his third career complete game. Hayhurst was saddled with the loss forKSU and fell to 0-2 in 2001.
The Wildcats outhit KSU six to five and did not commit an error. Hahn was the only Catto record multiple hits, going two-for-three and driving in two runs. OBrien was the loneGolden Flash with more than one hit. The Wildcats and Golden Flashes will meet again tomorrow, Saturday, March 3, at 2p.m., at Cliff Hagan Stadium. Sophomore Joseph Blanton (Brownsville,Ky./Franklin-Simpson) is the scheduled UK starter. Blanton is 0-1 with a 2.45 ERA infive appearances this season. The starter for KSU is yet to be determined.
Agate R H E
Kent State 100 001 000 2 5 1Kentucky 001 021 00X 4 6 0
WP Wade (1-2)LP Hayhurst (0-2)
HR VanBenschoten (KSU), Hahn (UK)
