March 18, 2000
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The University of Kentucky baseball team lost on a last inning home run for the second straight day to Mississippi State, falling 7-6 on Saturday afternoon at Cliff Hagan Stadium to the Bulldogs on Jon Knott’s tenth inning homer off UK reliever Jon Hooker.
Just as the Wildcats (18-4, 1-4 Southeastern Conference) did in Friday’s series-opener, they rallied to tie the game in the late-innings as Beau Moore’s first homer of the season, a three-run shot in the ninth inning, tied the game at 6-6.
Unlike Friday’s game when State (18-2, 5-0 SEC) jumped out to a 5-0 second inning lead, the Cats got on the board first on Saturday with John Wilson’s 10th home run of the season, a two-run blast, in the first inning. The round-tripper was the 42nd of Wilson’s UK career, moving him past Jeff Shartzer (1978-81) for the all-time school record.
A pair of base-running blunders cost UK runs in the second and third innings, allowing MSU to gain the lead with three runs in the third. In the second, Breck Price was caught tagging up on a two-out fly ball by Andy Green. Price took off for home when the ball and the left fielder bounced off the wall, costing the Cats the run as he had not reached home plate when Green was tagged out trying to extend his hit into a triple. Aaron McGlone committed a similar gaffe in the third inning as he went halfway between third and home, getting tagged out in a run down after Vince Harrison reached base when the shortstop’s throw pulled the first baseman off the base.
Despite allowing four runs in six innings, three earned, UK starter Rob Corrado deserved a better result from the longest outing of his career. The freshman right-hander struck out a career-high five, keeping the Cats in the game until their late-inning heroics.
The game turned in UK’s favor in the fifth inning as Andy Green caught a State runner at the plate in the top-half trying to score on an infield single. That was followed Robert Newton’s RBI double down the right-field line in the bottom-half that brought the Wildcats within a run at 4-3.
The momentum that UK had been building up came to a head in the eighth when the Cats loaded the bases with no outs on singles by Wilson, Newton and Harrison. But right-hander Justin Estel came in the game and struck out pinch-hitter Gordon Tyler, retired Seth Morris on hard line drive to the third baseman and struck out Breck Price to end the threat.
MSU used that momentum swing to extend its lead to 6-3 with two runs in the ninth off reliever Mark Michael, one coming on a homer by Phillip Willingham, the first round-tripper allowed by Michael in over 22 innings pitched this season.
The Wildcats put themselves in a position to come back once again in the ninth as Jeff Meade led off with a single and John Wilson extended the rally with a single through the hole at short. UK was then down to its last strike when Moore lined his first home run of the season just inside the right field foul pole. Moore’s dinger was Cats’ 12th in the last four games.
In the tenth, Jon Hooker cruised through his first two hitters, getting an infield pop-out and a ground out, but got a 3-2 fastball up and out over the plate to Knott who increased his team-leading home run total to seven with his drive far over the fence in right-center field.
MSU closer Adam Larson, the winner in Friday’s game, came on in the tenth and despite allowing a lead-off double to Gordon Tyler, earned his sixth save of the season as Willingham chased down Meade’s drive to the right field power alley.
Harrison extended his career-high hitting streak to 13 games with his bunt single in the eighth while Green’s second-inning double pushed his to a season-high 11 games. Wilson now has six homers in the last seven games and by going 3-for-5 and driving in two, he has notched an RBI in five straight games.
The Wildcats will be looking to win their second consecutive series finale in tomorrow afternoon’s game against the Bulldogs. Game time is set for 2:05 p.m. with freshman right-hander Scott Wade (4-1, 2.45 ERA) scheduled to be the starting pitcher for the Cats. MSU, in search of its second SEC series sweep of the season, will start left-hander Mark Freed (4-0, 0.79).
