OXFORD, Miss. — Wildcat starter Chris Rusin hurled a complete-game gem, as the Kentucky baseball team broke open a scoreless pitching duel with six runs in the sixth and seventh innings, to top No. 18 Ole Miss, 8-1, on Friday evening in front of 4,953 fans at Swayze Field.
Rusin delivered his second career complete game, handcuffing the hot-hitting Rebels to improve to 5-3 on the season. The sophomore southpaw did not allow an earned run in the contest, with the lone Ole Miss run coming courtesy of a UK throwing error with two outs and a runner on third. Rusin struck out four, allowing six hits, and not walking a batter until the sixth inning.
Ole Miss starter Will Kline and Rusin dueled it out through six scoreless innings, before UK exploded for two runs in the sixth. Kline, considered one of the top pitchers in the Southeastern Conference, took the loss, falling to 5-3 on the season. Kline got roughed up for six runs, seven hits, and two walks before being pulled from the game after 6 1/3 innings.
Brian Spear led the way for UK offensively, delivering a 3-for-4, three RBI performance. Spear was joined by Antone DeJesus and Ryan Wilkes as Wildcats charting multi-hit performances. DeJesus finished 2-for-3, with Wilkes posting a 2-for-5 evening. Wilkes connected on his 12th double of the season and DeJesus got hit by two pitches, bringing his season total up to a club-best 19.
Kentucky (32-16-1, 11-13-1 SEC) broke the scoreless tie in the sixth inning, plating two runs on two hits to take a 2-0 lead. Keenan Wiley led off with an infield single to the shortstop. Mike Brown laid down a sacrifice to move Wiley to scoring position and DeJesus got hit by his team-high 18th pitch of the season to put runners on second and third. Sawyer Carroll grounded out to the third baseman, putting both runners in scoring position. The SEC leader in RBI, Sean Coughlin strolled to the plate, rocketing a 0-1 pitch into the right-center gap, allowing two runs to score. Coughlin?s two RBI bumped his total up to 67, good for sole possession of third place in the single-season UK record books.
Ole Miss got on the board with an unearned run, courtesy of help from the UK defense. Rusin allowed a leadoff double to Zach Cozart and then hit Cody Overback with a pitch. Rusin worked out of it, forcing Zach Miller to hit into a double play, getting two quick outs. The next batter hit into a routine ground out to the third baseman, but Matt McKinney, who fielded it cleanly, threw a ball into the dirt and first baseman Sawyer Carroll was unable to scoop it out. Cozart came home to narrow the UK lead to 2-1.
Kentucky answered the Ole Miss run in the seventh with four runs on three hits. Ryan Wilkes led off with a slap single to left field and after a quick McKinney line out, Keenan Wiley drew a walk. Mike Brown followed with a hard hit single through the left side, loading the bases. DeJesus drove in Wilkes, getting hit by his second pitch of the night, this time with the bases loaded. Ole Miss pulled Kline in favor of Craig Rodriguez and the first batter he faced, Sawyer Carroll, scored Wiley by lofting a sacrifice fly into right center field. Spear followed, pounding a line-drive single into right center, scoring Brown and DeJesus.
The Wildcats tacked on some insurance runs in the ninth, as Carroll reached on a one-out single. Coughlin followed reaching on a hard-hoping ground ball that went into the books as a fielding error on the OM second baseman. Spear drove in Carroll with a single and Coughlin scored after Tyler Howe reached on a fielder?s choice, stretching the lead to the final margin, 8-1.
Kentucky and Ole Miss resume the three-game series on Saturday with first pitch set for 5 p.m. EDT. Fans in Lexington can catch the action live on WLAP 630-AM, with the Voice of UK Baseball, Neil Price on the call. Fans can communicate with Neil with questions or comments, via email at the bigblueinbox@gmail.com.
Post-Game Notes
Team Records and Series Notes
Kentucky improves to 32-16-1 with the win, 11-13-1 in the SEC. Ole Miss drops to 32-19, 13-12 in the SEC.
Kentucky still trails the all-time series with Ole Miss, 30-22. UK has now won four straight meetings between the two schools.
The win was the Wildcats first in the last four meetings in Oxford, having been swept at Swayze Field in 2003.
Kentucky and Ole Miss face off in game two of the three-game set on Saturday. First pitch is set for 5 p.m. EDT. UK will be looking for its first series win in Oxford since the 2001 season.
Individual Game Notes
Sean Coughlin made his team-leading 67th consecutive start.
Kentucky starter Chris Rusin worked his second career complete game, tossing nine complete innings, allowing no earned runs. The sophomore southpaw improved to 5-3 on the season and has now worked five or more innings in 12 of his 13 starts this season.
Coughlin drove in his 67th RBI of the season with a two-run single in the sixth inning, breaking the scoreless tie. The 67th RBI moves Coughlin into sole possession of third place in the UK single season record books. 2006 SEC Player of the Year Ryan Strieby set the school mark at 77 a year ago. Thru 49 games last season, Strieby had 67 RBI.
Antone DeJesus extended his club-best hit streak to six games with a single in the first inning. DeJesus? six game hit-streak ranks as his season high.
DeJesus got hit by pitches 18 and 19 during the game, a team high. His 19th HBP drove in UK?s third run of the game, coming with the bases loaded.
Brian Spear drew his SEC leading 44th walk of the season in the sixth. Spear?s walk moved him into a tied for fourth place in the UK single-season record books. David Cheatle holds the record of 48, set in 1998.
First baseman Sawyer Carroll drove in his 54th RBI of the season, with a sacrifice fly ball in the seventh. Carroll finished the game 1-for-4.
