Lexington, (Ky.) ? Michael Bertram was 4-for-5 with three doubles and four runs batted in and Casey Gilvin hit two home runs and drove in five to lead Kentucky to a 15-14 victory over Michigan in day two of the Wildcat Invitational Tournament at Cliff Hagan Stadium on Saturday. Gilvin?s second home run, a two-run blast in the eighth, put UK on top, 15-13, and the Cats fended off a ninth-inning rally from the Wolverines to move to 12-4 on the season.
Michigan got three runs in the top of the eighth to tie the score at 13-13. Billy Grace reached base on a fielder?s choice and Gilvin unloaded for his fourth home run of the season, over the wall in right, to give UK the two-run cushion. Matt Scott (4-0), who had come on in relief in the eighth, got the first two batters in the ninth before a walk to Jeremy Goldschmeding. A Kentucky error put two runners on base for Chris Getz, who ripped a single to center, scoring Goldschmeding. Scott rebounded to induce Matt Butler into a game-ending fly ball to center to pick up his fourth win of the year, tied for tops on the team.
?We?re happy to get a win in a game like this,? Kentucky coach John Cohen said. ?Our team showed a tremendous resiliency and never gave in. I?m really pleased with the effort we got from everyone today.?
The loss dropped Michigan to 4-6 on the year. Derek Feldkamp (1-1) took the loss in relief. Kentucky chased UM starter Jim Brauer from the mound in the fourth. He gave up eight runs, six earned, on 10 hits in 3 2/3 innings of work.
The Wildcats sent 10 batters to the plate and scored five times in the bottom of the sixth to take a 13-8 lead. Gilvin blasted a three-run home run to right field in the frame, scoring Justin Scutchfield and Grace. Earlier in the frame, Bertram laced his third double of the game to score Mike Breyman, who had singled to start the rally.
Kentucky had a four-run first inning, highlighted by a two-run double off the scoreboard by Bertram, scoring Spencer Graeter and Breyman. Breyman drove in UK?s first run with a double off the wall in right to score Gilvin, who reached base with a lead-off single. Bertram scored the fourth run when John Shelby singled through the left side of the infield.
UK took advantage of a Michigan error in the bottom of the third to score two more runs and take a 6-0 lead. After Bertram singled with one out, Shelby lofted a fly ball to right that was misplayed by the UM right fielder and put runners on second and third. Grace, who finished the game with two hits and three RBI, plated both runners with a double to left.
Michigan got to Kentucky starter Seth Stanley for a seven-spot in the top of the fourth with six hits in the frame, including a three-run home run by Butler to score Getz and Eric Rose and put the Wolverines on top, 7-6.
Caleb Stewart tied the game at 7-7 with his fourth home run of the season, a long bomb over the wall in center field. UK took an 8-7 lead on another run-scoring double by Bertram, bringing Breyman home, who had singled to reach base. Michigan promptly tied the game at 8-8 in the top of the fifth on a Kyle Bohm lead-off home run.
The tournament wraps up on Sunday as Youngstown State and Michigan will play at 10 a.m. (ET), followed by a matchup between Dayton and Kentucky at approximately 1:30 p.m. Note those times are changed from the original schedule, due to impending inclement weather, the schedule has been moved up one hour.
— UK —
