Fayetteville, (Ark.) ? With the bases full of Arkansas runners in the bottom of the ninth, Kentucky pitcher Matt Scott hit pinch-hitter Brett Hagedorn, forcing in the game?s winning run as the Wildcats fell to the Razorbacks, 5-4, on Saturday night in Fayetteville. UK was unable to figure out the Arkansas pitching staff, striking out 13 times in the game and failing to score a run after the first inning.
?I thought we got a great effort from our team tonight, and those guys are hurting right now,? UK head coach John Cohen said. ?We had a meeting this morning to discuss our competitive level, and I?m proud of the way we improved in that area tonight.?
The loss dropped the Wildcats to 19-18 on the season, 5-12 in the Southeastern Conference, and clinched the series for Arkansas, which won Friday?s game, 9-4. The Razorbacks now stand at 28-13, and their 12-5 SEC mark is tops in the conference.
Razorback reliever Jay Sawatski (5-2) picked up the win, throwing three shutout innings and allowing only one hit. He struck out five Wildcats. Scott (5-3) took the loss for Kentucky. Michael Bertram and Mike Breyman each had two hits for the Cats. Scott Hode and Devin Day posted three hits a piece for Arkansas.
Kentucky batted around in the top of the first, scoring four runs on five hits. Casey Gilvin provided the big blow, a grand slam home run over the wall in left, his seventh bomb of the season. Michael Bertram, Billy Grace and Caleb Stewart, who had all reached base with a single, scored in front of Gilvin on the blast.
Arkansas answered with a run in the bottom of the first, thanks to a single from Scott Hode, scoring Jake Dugger from third base, to make it a 4-1 game.
The Razorbacks got a run closer, at 4-2, in the third. Dugger led off with a triple and later scored on a sacrifice fly from Clay Goodwin. UA had runners on second and third, but Kentucky starter Seth Stanley induced a groundout to strand the runners and end the threat.
Arkansas got a run in the sixth and again in the seventh to tie the game at 4-4. Haas Pratt?s fifth home run of the season, a two-out solo shot off Stanley in the seventh, tied the game and ended the night for the UK starter. Stanley threw 6 2/3 solid innings, allowing four earned runs while scattering 12 hits and walking just one batter.
The two teams are scheduled to wrap up the three-game series on Sunday at 12:35 p.m. (ET) in Fayetteville. All the action can be heard live in Lexington on 96.1 FM and at www.ukathletics.com. Live stats also will be available on the web site.
— UK —
