GREENVILLE, S.C. — Jason Kipnis homered twice and Billy Grace added a three-run home run as part of a nine-run sixth inning, as the No. 26 Kentucky baseball team rolled over the Furman Paladins 16-3, on an overcast Saturday afternoon at Furman Stadium.
In a game which was mired by six errors between the two teams and a stiff, cold wind, Kentucky managed to explode offensively behind the bats of Grace, Kipnis, and Brian Spear.
Kipnis finished the day 3-for-4 with a triple and two home runs while batting No. 2 in the potent Wildcat lineup.
Kentucky (2-0) started off slow, as Furman plated three runs in the first for an early advantage. Paladin leadoff hitter Joey Rodgers started the half inning with a bunt single, forcing the UK defense to play on its heels early. The Paladins took advantage of two Kentucky errors to plate their only three runs and give Furman a 3-0 lead.
Kentucky answered in the next half inning, as Ryan Wilkes led off the inning with a walk. An Anthony Ottrando sacrifice bunt ended up in a fielding error credited to Furman pitcher Richard McGrath. A Tyler Howe sacrifice bunt and an Antone DeJesus sacrifice fly plated Wilkes to narrow the Paladin lead to 3-1.
The Wildcats plated three runs in the top of the third, beginning with a Sean Coughlin single. Billy Grace followed with a single and Spear doubled to right center, scoring Coughlin and Grace. Anthony Ottrando doubled down the right line to score Spear and give UK a 4-3 advantage.
In the fourth, Kipnis tripled to right center – part of three triples on the day for the Wildcats – and first basemen Sawyer Carroll drove in his third RBI of the season with a single to right field to stretch the UK lead to 5-3.
In the fifth inning, Kentucky plated one more run after Spear singled to lead off the inning. A fielding error credited to Furman shortstop Spence Gibbs, plated Spear to make it a 6-3 UK lead.
Kipnis cracked his first home run as a Wildcat in the sixth inning, leading off with a blast to left field which only started the painful half inning for Furman. The powerful display was not through, as Billy Grace ripped a three-run home run to left center field to give UK a 10-3 lead. Wilkes reached on a fielding error and advanced into scoring position on an Anthony Ottrando single. Tyler Howe, ripped a two-run triple, scoring Wilkes and Ottrando. DeJesus singled through the right side of the infield to score Howe and make it 13-3. Kipnis, who redshirted as a freshman last season, again strolled to the plate, setting the stage for his second homer of the inning, another opposite field blast which plated DeJesus to make it 15-3.
The bleeding was not finished for the Paladins, as UK scored one more run in the seventh as Brian Spear tripled down the right-field line. Mike Brown pinch hit for Wilkes and drove in Spear for the final margin 16-3.
Kentucky starter Chris Rusin earned his first win of the season, after going an unblemished 5-0 as a freshman a year ago. Rusin tossed five innings, allowing only three hits and just one earned run. Rusin struck out a career-high seven Paladin hitters before giving way to redshirt freshman Duran Ferguson. Ferguson tossed two innings, striking out four before handing over the ball to freshman Clint Tilford. Tilford, the Gatorade High School Player of the Year in Kentucky in 2006, allowed just one hit in his first career collegiate action, while hurling the final two innings of the contest.
Furman starter Richard MaGrath took the loss after allowing five runs in 3.1 innings of work.
Kentucky will go for the series sweep tomorrow at Noon when it run out one of the best pitchers in all of college baseball to the hill, Greg Dombrowski to face Furman right-hander Mason Smith. Dombrowski was named to the preseason watch list for the Roger Clemens Award, an honor annually given to the best collegiate pitcher in the country, after winning 10 games and posting a 2.83 ERA in 2006.
Fans can catch the action Sunday at noon via Kentucky?s official Web site, UKathletics.com, or in Lexington on WXRA 1580-AM with Dick Gabriel on the call.
