LOUISVILLE ? For the second straight year, No. 21 Kentucky completed a season sweep of rival Louisville, winning 3-1 on Wednesday night at Patterson Stadium.
The bottom of the order provided all the offense UK would need, going 7-for-15 while the first four hitters in the lineup struggled to an 0-for-15 performance. The Wildcats pitching staff made the three runs stand up, holding U of L to a single run on six hits.
Matt Robinson was UK?s third pitcher of the evening, entering in the fifth inning and hurling the final five frames, allowing a single hit while striking out four and walking none. He has won Kentucky?s last two games and improved 3-1 for the year.
Robinson retired the first eight batters he faced and the last seven he faced, allowing just the single in between.
The Wildcats continued their dominance of their cross-state rival, having now won four straight in the series and seven of the last eight. Current UK head coach John Cohen is 5-1 against the Cards in his career.
John Shelby and Michael Bertram put the Wildcats ahead 2-0 in the second inning with back-to-back RBI doubles off Cardinals starter Zack Pitts, who took the loss to fall to 1-1 on the year. Pitts worked 3 2/3 innings and allowed three runs on six hits.
Bertram?s double extended his hitting streak to seven games with the double. Collin Cowgill had his seven-game streak snapped while Ryan Strieby?s streak ended at six games.
Shelby added a single in the third inning for a two-hit outing. Shaun Lehmann also had two hits, including a single that moved Ryan Wilkes to third in the fourth inning. Cowgill later drove him in on a sacrifice fly as Kentucky stretched its lead to 3-0.
Louisville answered in the fourth off of reliever Chris Rusin by tagging him for three hits, including an RBI double b y Daniel Burton. Rusin worked two innings allowing the run on three hits, striking out two and walking one.
Sophomore Andrew Albers started the game and went two innings, giving up just a pair of singles.
Kentucky returns to action on Friday at 6:30 p.m. when it opens a three-game series against Southeastern Conference front-runner and seventh-ranked South Carolina.
