April 5, 2000
LEXINGTON, Kty. — Paced by starter Scott Wade, the University of Kentucky baseball team pitched its second consecutive shutout, beating Tennessee Tech, 6-0, Wednesday afternoon at Cliff Hagan Stadium. The Wildcats have now won 22 straight non-conference games over the last two seasons and are 20-0 versus non-Southeastern Conference foes this season.
Going back to the final two innings of Saturday’s 8-5 loss to Ole Miss and including Sunday’s 3-0 blanking of the Rebels, the pitching staff for UK (25-6, 5-6 SEC) has strung together a streak of 20 consecutive scoreless innings. The UK pitching staff last tossed back-to-back shutouts in 1983.
Coming off three sub-par outings, Wade (6-2) baffled the Golden Eagles for five innings, allowing just two runners to reach second base despite walking one batter and hitting another. Wade, who like his team is undefeated in non-conference play, allowed just two hits while striking out three, coming out of the game with the Cats leading 4-0.
UK scored two runs each in the first, third and fifth innings. Two first inning errors by Tech (13-14) helped UK to a pair of unearned runs off lefty starter Michael Fessler (1-2). UK’s first two hitters, Andy Green and Aaron McGlone, reached on fielding errors. After John Wilson advanced the runners with a ground out, Vince Harrison drove in the first run with another ground out followed by Robert Newton’s RBI single to left.
Green and McGlone, who each went 2-for-4, scored five of UK’s six runs in the game. Green, playing in his 200th career game, stayed on pace with McGlone in their climb up the all-time UK hit list. Both hitters now have 236 career hits, trailing career leader Mike Botkin by just five. Botkin collected 241 hits from 1979-82.
The Wildcats will be looking to extend their scoreless innings streak this weekend in their crucial SEC series with the heaving hitting Florida Gators (22-14, 7-5 SEC). UF held the fourth highest team batting average in the SEC with the second most home runs entering play this week. Florida enters the weekend in third place in the SEC Eastern Division, one spot ahead of the Wildcats who stand in fourth.
Game times this weekend are 6 p.m. EDT on Friday, 2 p.m. on Saturday and noon on Sunday. Scheduled to start for UK on Friday is Brandon Webb (5-0, 3.81 ERA), Mark Michael (4-0, 1.42) on Saturday and Wade (6-2, 2.75) on Sunday.
