May 13, 2000
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Kentucky reliever Joseph Blanton pitched five innings ofscoreless relief to help the Wildcats defeat the Vanderbilt baseballteam, 7-3, on Saturday afternoon in Nashville, Tenn.
Blanton (5-0) closed out the game and gave up just three hits inhis outing, helping Kentucky improve to 36-18-1 overall, 11-16-1 in SECplay. The win gave Kentucky a chance at making the SEC Tournament.
Vanderbilt fell to 21-32, 5-23 in conference play. Starter ZachCook (2-6), who made his first start in a SEC game, suffered the lossafter giving up six runs on seven hits in 5 2/3 innings.
The Commodores held Kentucky close as the game was tied, 3-3,after five innings. UK would only outhit the Commodores, 9-8, in thegame, but Vanderbilt would commit two costly errors.
Both teams tallied single runs in the first inning. UK went up1-0 when Andy Green scored on a wild pitch by Cook. Vanderbilt wasable to even the score, 1-1, in the bottom of the inning when KevinGeshke scored from second base on a nice sac bunt by Ashley Freeman.
In the fourth, Kentucky scored two runs for the 3-1 advantage.With one out, Vince Harrison, who went 3-for-4 on the day, reached on adouble to left center. Seth Morris walked and Harrison stole third toput runners on first and third for UK. A throwing error by VU catcherAndy Kropf on a stolen base attempt by Morris allowed Harrison to crosshome plate. A single by Gordon Tyler drove in Morris for the secondrun of the inning.
Vanderbilt came back with one run in the fourth and one in thefifth to tie the game, 3-3. In the fourth, UK pitcher Scott Wadewalked Kyle Flubacker with bases loaded for VU’s lone run in theinning. VU tied the game in the fifth when Ulises Cabrera hit hisfourth home run of the year, a solo shot to left center field.
UK went to its bullpen for Blanton in the fifth. He would cooloff Vanderbilt’s bats the rest of the contest as VU would not score arun the rest of the game.
Kentucky broke the 3-3 tie with a three-run sixth inning.Harrison led off the inning with a solo homer to right center thatcleared the scoreboard. It was his seventh home run of the year andsecond of the series. A RBI single by Beau Moore and a run scoringtriple by Green gave Kentucky the 6-3 lead.
Kentucky secured the 7-3 win in the seventh when Robert Newtondrove in Aaron McGlone on a deep sac fly to center field.
Cabrera was Vanderbilt’s top hitter. He went 2-for-4 with a homerun. Seven other Commodores had one hit a piece in the game.
Along with Harrison’s three hits, Moore tallied three of his ownas both led the Kentucky attack.
Vanderbilt and Kentucky close out the series tomorrow at 1 p.m.It will the last game of the season for the Commodores.
