April 18, 2000
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The University of Kentucky baseball team posted a season-high 17 hits and Rob Corrado struck out seven over 6-1/3 innings to down the visiting Bearcats of Cincinnati 12-2 Tuesday night at Cliff Hagan Stadium.
The win allowed the Wildcats (29-9-1) to extend their non-conference win streak to 24 games. The Cats are 22-0 this season against teams from outside the SEC.
Cincinnati (24-14), who handed the Cats their last non-conference loss on May 5 of last season, opened the scoring in the second inning when center fielder Anthony Snowell singled to centerfield to drive in Matt Singer.
The Wildcats bounced back quickly on UC starter Mike Heis, scoring five runs in their half of the second and knocking the left-handed Heis (4-2) >from the game after retiring just one hitter in the second. Vince Harrison got the rally started when he reached on an error. After Robert Newton was hit by a pitch, Gordon Tyler, Austin Madison and Jeff Meade each followed with run scoring singles. Andy Green made the score 4-0 with a bloop double to right field, scoring Madison. After John Wilson was walked intentionally to load the bases, Heis walked Aaron McGlone unintentionally, driving in the fifth run of the inning.
Heis, who allowed just one run on five hits in 10 innings of work in the Bearcats’ 3-2, 17-inning win over the Cats last year, lasted just 1-1/3 innings, giving up five runs (four earned) on five hits and two walks.
Corrado (4-1) took advantage of his offensive support and pitched a career-high 6-1/3 innings of three-hit baseball, giving up two runs (earned) while walking none and tying a career-high with seven strikeouts. Corrado, on a 90-pitch limit, got stronger as the game went on, retiring the last 10 hitters he faced. Three Wildcat relievers combined to hold the Bearcats scoreless over the final 2-2/3 innings.
In the sixth, Wilson and McGlone combined for back-to-back homers to give the Cats a 10-2 lead. The back-to-back blasts off two different pitchers marked the second time this season that McGlone was a part of consecutive UK home runs. In UK’s 13-5 win at Eastern Kentucky on March 15, McGlone followed Andy Green’s three-run inside-the-park home run with an opposite field blast over the left field wall.
Starring for the Cats was Meade who went 3-for-4 and drove in three runs with two singles and a triple, UK’s first in 24 games. Wilson was also 3-for-4 while Madison and McGlone each went 2-for-3. By collecting his 159th and 160th career runs batted in, McGlone, UK’s all-time hit leader, moved within two RBI of equaling Mike Botkin for the school’s RBI leadership. Tyler was 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored.
The Wildcats return to action Wednesday night on the road at Western Kentucky. First pitch at Nick Denes Stadium in Bowling Green is scheduled for 7 p.m. EDT
