March 6, 2002
Sophomore shortstop Spencer Graeter went 4-for-5 with two doubles and a run scored, but five errors prevented the University of Kentucky baseball team from claiming victory, falling 9-5 to Western Michigan at Applebee’s Park Wednesday.
“This was an unusual game because I felt our pitching and hitting were good enough to win,” Coach Keith Madison said. “We just broke down defensively today after playing solid defense the entire season. We did not get leadoff runners home and didn’t play well behind our pitchers’ efforts.”
Western Michigan (2-3) wasted no time in getting runs across the plate off UK starter Rob Corrado (0-1), scoring three runs in the first inning. However, the Wildcats (6-7) answered with three runs of their own in the bottom half of the first off WMU starter Pat Misch. Graeter smacked his first of two doubles on the day, junior Brad Pickrell followed up with a single to left and both were brought home on sophomore Caleb Stewart’s first career triple. Senior Robert Newton continued the Cats’ rally with a single to left, scoring Stewart to even it up at three runs apiece.
Corrado allowed the Broncos to put two across the plate in the second and four in the fourth. The Dayton, Ohio native picked up the loss, allowing nine runs, five earned, off seven hits, two walks and four strikeouts in 3.1 innings pitched.
The Cats responded in the bottom of the seventh, unleashing Newton and Morris from their offensive arsenal. For the second time this season, the tandem cracked back-to-back home runs, the last time in a 5-4 win over Pepperdine on Feb. 23 in the Aggie Baseball Classic in College Station, Texas. But WMU hurler Josh Mandarino quelled the Cats’ roar, striking out Emory Davies and Mike Ferris swinging and forcing Graeter into a grounder to third to end the inning.
Senior left-hander Bryan Felkel gave Madison a solid performance on the hill, coming in to throw four complete innings, allowing no runs, one hit, walking none and fanning four in 14 batters faced.
Kentucky will next be in action on Friday, March 8 when it plays host to Ball State (1-3) at Applebee’s Park in the first game of a three-game weekend series with the Cardinals. Junior right-hander Joseph Blanton is the projected starter on Friday with his first pitch scheduled at 3 p.m. ET.
Western Michigan320 400 000 - 9 9 2Kentucky300 000 200 - 5 12 5Win: Misch (1-0)Loss: Corrado (0-1)Time: 3:04Attendance: 137
– UK –
