LEXINGTON ? Billy Grace singled home Collin Cowgill in the bottom of the 10th inning as the Kentucky baseball team beat Buffalo, 4-3, on Friday afternoon at Cliff Hagan Stadium.
The win, which was the Wildcats second straight walk-off victory, improved Kentucky to 4-1 while Buffalo dropped to 0-1. The two teams meet again on Saturday at 1 p.m. before wrapping up the three-game series on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Anthony Marchioli walked the bases loaded in the 10th with one out to bring up Grace, who finished 2-for-3 with three walks to raise his average to .350.
It was the second straight inning Buffalo walked the bases loaded, having done so in the ninth. However, pinch-hitter Jesse Barber lined to second and JB Schmidt fouled out to end the threat. Kentucky stranded 13 base runners. It was the fourth straight game the Wildcats have left at least 10 runners on.
Freshman Andrew Albers was stellar on the mound for the second straight Friday. He went eight innings, allowing three runs on just four hits, but got a no-decision. In his first career start on Feb. 18, Albers also went eight innings while allowing one run on two hits to earn a victory.
Kentucky took an early1-0 lead in the second inning when Cowgill launched a two-out double off the centerfield wall to score Justin Scutchfield, who walked to lead off.
The Bulls answered right away in the top of the third. David Amaro led off with a single, was sacrificed to second and came home on Phil Vanhorne?s single to left. An out later, Joe Mihalic belted a two-run homer to left for a 3-1 lead
In their half of the third , the Wildcats cut the lead in half on a two-out single from Grace that plated Shaun Lehmann, who led off with a single and stole second. An inning later, Scutchfield drew another leadoff walk and scored on a Schmidt double to knot the game at 3-3.
Schmidt and Lehmann each extended their hitting streaks to five while Michael Bertram went 0-for-4 to snap his streak at seven.
Kentucky looked to take the lead by loading the bases in the fifth and sixth and getting a runner to third in the seventh. However, the team was unable to capitalize on any of the opportunities.
Albers settled down after giving up the home run, allowing just one hit in the next 5 1/3 innings. Brock Baber came on in the ninth and retired the first five batters he faced before walking a batter and giving up a single. He was then replaced by Aaron Tennyson, who got the final out of the 10th to earn the win.
Tennyson is now 2-0 on the year with a 3.37 earned-run average.
