LEXINGTON ? The 20th-ranked Kentucky baseball team blasted four home runs and got a solid pitching effort from freshman Chris Rusin en route to a 15-4 victory over Morehead State on Wednesday night at Cliff Hagan Stadium.
The improved Kentucky to 21-5 overall, which matches the best start in its 102-year history of baseball. The win is also UK?s 12th in its last 14 games. The Eagles fell to 9-14.
The Wildcats explosive offense pounded out 12 hits, including seven for extra bases to post their 15 runs. It is the fifth time this year UK has crossed the plate at least 15 times. Ryan Strieby led the charge with two home runs and a double. He now has seven home runs for the season and a Southeastern Conference best 14 doubles.
Strieby took over the team lead in home runs and leads John Shelby, who hit a three-run shot Wednesday, and Sean Coughlin by one. As a team, Kentucky has now slugged an SEC-high 38 dingers, which is one shy of its 2005 season total.
Between them, Strieby and Shelby drove in eight of Kentucky?s 15 runs. All of Strieby?s came on his pair of two-run shots. Shelby?s long ball was a three-run shot and he added an RBI grounder later.
Strieby set the tone early, cranking his first homer off the batters eye in center field. It plated Shaun Lehmann, who had replaced Antone DeJesus at first base. DeJesus was hit by a pitch in his at bat and did not return. The Wildcats added a third run in the first when Brian Hastings singled home Coughlin.
A four-run second inning made it 7-0 out of the gate. Back-to-back walks and a hit batsman loaded the bases to start the inning. Coughlin plated one with a sac fly before Shelby cleared the bases with a bomb to right.
After a scoreless third, Strieby struck again. Collin Cowgill walked to start the fourth and Strieby launched a towering homer over the scoreboard in right field. Kentucky added four more in the inning to make it 13-0.
Shelby?s RBI grounder came in the fifth and Matt McKinney added a solo home in the sixth to round out UK?s scoring.
While the Wildcats were scoring, Morehead State was stifled by Rusin. The freshman lefty worked five innings, allowing five hits while striking out five and walking none. He earned the win to improve to 3-0. Over his last two starts, Rusin has not allowed a run and has lowered his ERA to 1.93.
He was relieved in the sixth by Drew Albers, who Morehead State tagged for back-to-back doubles and its first run of the game. After that, he settled down to allow one hit, but retired him on a double play.
Tommy Warner worked a scoreless eighth and Matt Robinson was charged with a run after hitting a batter in his two-thirds of an inning. Adam Revelette came on to get the last out, but gave up four singles and two runs before getting it.
Kentucky returns to the road this weekend to face Auburn in a three-game series at Plainsman Park. Two years ago, the Wildcats took two of three from the Tigers on their home field. Game one of the series is set for 8 p.m. ET on Friday.
