Lexington, (Ky.) ? Mike Breyman hit a big three-run home run as part of a five-run fourth inning for Kentucky to help lead the Wildcats to a 10-5 win over Western Kentucky on Tuesday night at Cliff Hagan Stadium. The win gives UK a sweep of the two-game, home-and-home season series with the Toppers. Kentucky took the first contest, 18-6, back in March. Kentucky improved its record to 22-25, while WKU fell to 24-25.
Caleb Stewart was 3-for-5 with three doubles and two runs scored for Kentucky. Breyman and Casey Gilvin were each 2-for-4, and reserve J.B. Schmidt was 2-for-2, including a two-run single in the eight inning.
?This was a good team effort tonight,? said UK head coach John Cohen. ?We were aggressive at the plate and on the bases and we came out with a good win.?
After Kentucky got five in the fourth to take a 6-0 lead, WKU battled back with five runs of its own in the top of the fifth. Matt Gunning had a two-run single to punctuate the rally.
UK came back with another tally in the home half of the fifth when Schmidt singled and Billy Grace plated him with a double. The Wildcat pitching staff held the Hilltoppers scoreless the rest of the way and the UK offense tacked on a run in the seventh and two more in the eighth to provide the final margin.
Kentucky starter Seth Stanley (6-2) allowed two hits in three scoreless innings of work to pick up his team-best sixth win of the season. Curtis Morrison (1-3) took the loss for Western, surrendering five earned runs in 3 1/3 innings.
Kentucky will return to action this weekend when it plays host to Alabama in a Southeastern Conference three-game series in Lexington. The series gets underway with a 6:30 p.m. (ET) start on Friday night. The two teams meet at 7 p.m. on Saturday and wrap up the series with a 2 p.m. meeting on Sunday afternoon. The Wildcats will honor 10 seniors on Saturday evening with Senior Night festivities beginning at approximately 6:30 p.m. All the weekend?s action can be heard on 96.1 FM in Lexington. Friday?s broadcast will be on a delayed basis at 10:30 p.m., while Saturday and Sunday?s games will be on live. Live audio and stats are available at www.ukathletics.com, as well as live video for subscribers to the web site?s ?Extreme Access.?
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