LEXINGTON, Ky. — Senior second baseman Ryan Wilkes homered from both sides of the plate, finishing 5-for-6 with a career-high eight RBI, as the No. 22 Kentucky Wildcats pummeled the Wright State Raiders 21-3, with a season-high 23 hit, 21-run performance, on a picture-perfect Tuesday evening at Cliff Hagan Stadium.
Wilkes, a four-year starter in the middle infield for the Wildcats, charted two homers ? his first career two-homer game ? finishing with a career-high eight RBI and four runs scored. Wilkes hit homers seven and eight on the year from the left and right sides of the plate, using different bats with each homer. On the year, Wilkes is batting .385, with 10 doubles, eight homers and 30 RBI.
Before this season, Wilkes had four career home runs, functioning as UK?s everyday shortstop for three years. Wilkes made the move to second base in 2008, shoring up a UK defense that ranks second in the conference in fielding percentage, a .975 clip. The move has paid off, as Wilkes is the only everyday second baseman in the Southeastern Conference to remain perfect in the field, handling 204 chances, making 87 putouts, 117 assists and turning 30 double plays.
One of the more prolific players to ever come through Lexington, Wilkes ranks on the career record lists in nearly every category, including games played (201), games started (194), most at bats (664), most walks (112), sacrifice flies (19) and sacrifice bunts (36).
Kentucky (35-14) finished the 2008 home non-conference schedule unblemished, going 18-0 in non-conference play at Cliff Hagan Stadium. The Wildcats have one non-conference game left in 2008, a road game next Monday against Murray State in Paducah. UK will seek to finish the season 25-1 in out of conference action.
Every Wildcat starter finished with a hit, with Wilkes leading the way with his career-best five. Third baseman Spencer Korus and freshman outfielder Bryan Rose finished with three hits each, with rose going 3-for-5 and Korus finishing 3-for-4 with two RBI. All-American outfielders Sawyer Carroll and Collin Cowgill each added two hits, with Cowgill launching his 13th double of the year. Senior Brian Spear hit his eighth homer of the season, going 2-for-4 at the dish, with two RBI. Keenan Wiley added a 2-for-5, two run scored, one RBI game at the plate, starting in centerfield for the first time in 2008. Korus added his fifth and sixth doubles of the season.
Freshman shortstop Chris Wade went 1-for-3 with his SEC-leading 20th double of the season. Freshman Kevin Bishop notched his first career hit and freshman catcher Brian Suerdick ripped his first career double, an opposite-field two-bagger down the line.
UK starter Clint Tilford (3-0) picked up the win, tossing five innings, allowing five hits and three runs. The Wildcat bullpen was perfect, not allowing a hit in the final three frames. Scott Green worked two perfect innings, striking out two and Logan Darnell and Mike Kaczmarek each hurled a perfect inning. Kaczmarek struck out all three of the batters he faced in the ninth.
Wright State (24-19) took just its second loss in the past seven games, with the Raiders winning eight of its past 10 games entering the Tuesday matchup, ranking second in the Horizon League with a 13-6 record. WSU was led at the plate by its slugging first baseman, Jeremy Hamilton, a member of the 2007 USA National Team, who hit his seventh homer of the season, going 2-for-3 with three RBI in the game.
WSU took an early 2-0 lead in the third, getting Hamilton?s two-run homer.
Kentucky wasted no time in answering, hanging up eight runs on nine hits and two WSU errors in the bottom of the third. Tyler Howe got plunked by his NCAA-leading 23rd pitch to lead off, and Korus sacrificed him over. Wiley scored Howe with a single and Rose laid down a bunt single. Carroll scored Wiley with an RBI single and Cowgill doubled down the line to score Carroll. Wilkes got his first RBI of the game, scoring Cowgill with a single up the middle. Spear singled and Wade doubled down the line, scoring Wilkes. Howe batted around, doubling to score Wade and then Korus did the same thing, scoring Howe with a double.
UK got another run in the fourth as Carroll and Cowgill singled back-to-back with one out. After the duo stole their respective bases, Carroll scored from third on a wild pitch.
Sam Mote doubled to lead off the Wright State fifth inning, scoring on Hamilton?s two-out RBI single up the middle.
Kentucky got two more runs in the sixth as Cowgill drew a lead-off walk and Wilkes homered for the first time, this coming from the left side of the plate, his seventh of the year.
UK added four runs in the seventh as Wiley led off reaching on a fielding error charged to WSU?s shortstop. Rose doubled to left center and Wilkes scored the two with a single up the middle. Spear cleared Wilkes of the bags with his eighth homer of the year.
The Wildcats added six runs on four hits in the eighth, as Suerdick doubled down the right-field line and Korus scored him with his sixth double of the year, second of the game. Brock Wright drew a pinch-hit walk and Rose also drew a walk. Troy Frazier walked in a run with a bases-loaded free pass and Marcus Nidiffer tallied an RBI groundout on a bang-bang play at first base. With Rose and Wright on the bases, Wilkes launched his second homer of the game, a blast from the right side of the plate to the opposite field.
Kentucky returns to action in a pivotal three-game SEC series at Tennessee beginning Friday at 7 p.m. ET.
