May 12, 2001
Jeff Tolotti’s pinch-hit sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh inning broke a 3-3 tie, while closer Jon Hooker extinguished a ninth inning Georgia rally, securing a 4-3 win for the Kentucky Wildcats baseball team on Saturday afternoon at Cliff Hagan Stadium.
UK freshman Cory Hahn pitched brilliantly over the course of seven innings, allowing only six hits and three runs while striking out eight Bulldogs before turning the game over to the Wildcat bullpen. Hahn picked up his fourth win of the season as the Cats ended UGA’s 13-game win streak and evened the series with the Dawgs at one game apiece.
With the win, UK improved to 22-33, 7-22 in the Southeastern Conference. UGA, which clinched the SEC Eastern Division title last night, fell to 39-16, 19-9 in conference play.
UGA drew first blood when third baseman Andy Neufeld connected for his eighth home run of the season in the top of the third inning, giving the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead.
UK didn’t waste time in evening the score as the Cats battled back with a run in the bottom-half of the inning on Spencer Graeter’s fourth round-tripper of the 2001 campaign.
The Wildcats gained their first lead with two runs in the fifth. With two outs, Beau Moore and Vince Harrison hit back-to-back solo home runs, giving UK a 3-1 lead. Moore and Harrison’s homers marked the second time this season that the Wildcats had gone back-to-back. Spencer Preston then followed with a line drive that ricocheted off the ankle of UGA starting pitcher Scott Murphy. After being tended to by the Bulldog training staff, Murphy remained in the game, only to walk Seth Morris before being replaced by UGA reliever Max Havel.
After a scoreless sixth inning, Georgia tied the game with two runs in the top of the seventh. With one out, David Coffey singled through the right side of the UK infield. Jeff Keppinger followed with a single to center, moving Coffey to second. After Doc Brooks struck out swinging, Adam Swann laced a two-out double down the left field line, plating both runners and knotting the score once again.
Preston doubled to left field to lead off the UK-half of the seventh. With one out Brad Pickrell singled through the left side, advancing Preston to third and prompting a UGA pitching change. After Pickrell stole second, UGA reliever Jeffrey Carswell intentionally walked Caleb Brock, loading the bases. UK Head Coach Keith Madison called upon the left-handed Tolotti, and the junior college transfer responded with a sac fly to center field, scoring Preston and giving the Cats a 4-3 lead.
Joseph Blanton replaced Hahn in the eighth and retired the Dawgs in order on seven pitches. UK failed to extend its lead in the eighth.
The Dawgs sparked a rally in the ninth. Neufeld walked to leadoff the inning. Coffey followed with a single through the right side which moved Neufeld to second, prompting Madison to call on senior closer Jon Hooker to secure the Cats’ win. Hooker got Keppinger to ground into a fielder’s choice, leaving runners at the corners with only one out. Hooker than struck out Brooks looking and Swann swinging to end the game and register his fifth save of the season and11th for his career.
Graeter and Moore led the UK offense with three hits and one RBI apiece. Preston and Pickrell added two hits each as the Cats out-hit the Bulldogs 12-7.
With his eighth strikeouts, Hahn increased his yearly total to 60, taking over the team lead.
Max Havel suffered the loss for UGA. Havel fell to 2-1 on the season. For the second straight game, Coffey led the Bulldogs with three hits. Neufeld was the only other Dawg to record a multiple-hit game.
The rubber-game of the series will get underway tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m. Tomorrow’s game will mark Kentucky’s final game of the season. Prior to the game, UK seniors Moore, Hooker and Austin Madison will be honored.
Sophomore Scott Wade (4-8, 3.59 ERA) will be on the mound for the Wildcats. Tomorrow’s game can be heard locally on WLXO/96.1-FM .
