Appalachian State Box Score | Winthrop Box Score
ROCK HILL, S.C. – The University of Kentucky baseball team defeated Appalachian St. in the opening game of the Winthrop Tournament Friday afternoon, but fell to host school Winthrop later in the evening.
Against Appalachian St., the Wildcats used the long ball to do most of their offensive damage, belting a season-high four home runs, one each by Beau Moore, Taylor McInnis, Vince Harrison and Gordon Tyler.
UK (2-3) opened up the scoring in the first. With one out, McInnis his a solo blast, his second of the season, over the left-center field wall, putting the Cats up 1-0.
The Cats were unable to push any more runs across the plate until the fourth. McInnis bunt-singled to lead off the inning, and Harrison followed with an opposite field homer. With one out, back-to-back singles by Spencer Preston and Seth Morris put runners at first and second. Tyler, the Cats first baseman, stepped to the plate and hit a three-run round-tripper to right-center, giving UK a 6-0 advantage.
Appalachian St. (0-1) got on the board in the fifth with one run, but the Wildcats regained a six-run advantage with a solo blast from Moore in the seventh.
The Mountaineers would score two runs in the top of the eighth, but that would be as close as they would get as UK cruised to an 8-3 victory.
Rob Corrado (1-0) picked up the win for UK, his first of the season, by scattering six hits over five full innings, giving up only one earned run while striking out four. Bryan Felkel pitched three strong innings of relief and Morris game on to close the ninth.
Harrison led the charge at the plate for the Big Blue, going 3-for-4 en route to picking up two RBI. Moore and McInnis both recorded two hits each.
Tyson Blocker took the loss for ASU. The Wildcats outhit the Mountaineers 10-8 in an error-free ballgame.
In the day’s second game, Winthrop became the first school to shutout the Wildcats since 2000 NCAA Champion LSU turned the trick on May 5, 2000, as the host Golden Eagles defeated UK 3-0.
Scott Wade (0-1) threw seven strong innings for UK, giving up only two hits and two earned runs, but received little help from the Wildcat hitters. WU (2-1) got on the board in the bottom of the first when Jason Colson smacked a solo shot over the right field wall.
Golden Eagle starter Jeremy Herauf held the Cats with out a hit until Beau Moore singled in the fourth.
Winthrop added an unearned run in the fifth and another in the seventh to take a 3-0 lead. UK threatened to close the gap in the eighth, but with runners on the corners and one out, the Wildcats grounded into a double play, ending their scoring chances.
Herauf (2-0) picked up the win for the Golden Eagles while Wade (0-1) absorbed the loss for the Cats. UK outhit Winthrop 6-2, but two costly errors and five runners left on base spelled doom for the Cats.
UK and Winthrop will square off again tomorrow night, Feb. 17, at 6 p.m., in what will be the first night game ever at Eagle Field.
