LEXINGTON, Ky. — Using a four hit, six-RBI performance from senior player of the year candidate Sawyer Carroll, the 20th-ranked Kentucky Wildcats rolled to a 12-4 series-opening win over the Ole Miss Rebels, securing just UK?s fourth 40-win season in the 104-year history of the program, on a rainy Thursday night at Cliff Hagan Stadium.
The Wildcats (40-14, 15-13 Southeastern Conference) have only finished with 40 wins four times in the history of the program, twice under fifth-year head coach John Cohen, including the school-record of 44 wins during UK?s 2006 SEC Championship run. Only four-times in school history has UK totaled 15 wins in SEC play, setting a school-record in 2006 with 20 wins in conference action.
The win over Ole Miss on Thursday, combined with the results from around the league, puts UK in sole possession of fourth-place, holding the tie-breaker over 15-13 Florida, who posted an 8-6 come-from-behind win over Vanderbilt.
Carroll totaled a career-high six RBI, coming just one base shy of hitting for the cycle as the right-fielder finished with two doubles, a single and his 15th home run of the season. Carroll?s six-RBI moves him into sole possession of second place on the UK all-time season RBI record books, with 75 RBI on the year. Carroll eclipsed 2007 first-team All-American Sean Coughlin?s 73 RBI and needs just two to equal 2006 SEC Player of the Year Ryan Strieby?s school-best 77 RBI. Carroll leads the SEC with a .416 average, ripping 19 doubles.
Senior Ryan Wilkes continued to swing one of the hottest bats in college baseball, going 3-for-4 with four runs scored, a walk and two RBI. Riding a club-high nine-game hit streak, Wilkes has batted .476 (20-for-42), with 14 runs scored, three home runs and 15 RBI, adding three doubles during his hit streak.
Collin Cowgill, Chris McClendon and Brian Spear each added two hits and an RBI.
Chris Rusin got his seventh quality start in 12 assignments this year, working 6.2 innings, allowing three runs ? two earned ? walking one and striking out one. Andrew Albers closed out the game for the Wildcats, hurling the final 2.1 innings, allowing one run and two hits, striking out three.
Ole Miss (33-21, 14-14 SEC) ace right-hander Lance Lynn, a future first-round pick, got roughed up by UK in 3.1 innings, allowing eight hits and eight runs, walking three and striking out three. Brett Bukvich worked 3.2 frames, allowing five hits and two runs, striking out five, while Rory McKean allowed two runs over the final inning.
The teams return to the series on Friday, with a 6:30 p.m. ET first pitch at Cliff Hagan Stadium. UK will be seeking its third consecutive series win over the Rebels, sending sophomore lefty James Paxton to the hill to face off with star freshman southpaw Drew Pomeranz. The game can be heard live on the Big Blue Sports Network (radio), with the Voice of UK Baseball, Neil Price, calling the action. Fans in Lexington can hear the game live on WLAP 630-AM and in Louisville on WKJK 1080-AM.
Wilkes hit streak extended to nine games with a 1-2 single hit into the opposite field on a line in the first inning. Carroll moved Wilkes to third with a double into left-centerfield gap, his 18th two-bagger of the year. Cowgill ripped a hard line-drive single up the middle, bouncing off Lynn?s leg, allowing Wilkes to score from third. Cowgill went in motion from first on a 3-2 pitch to McClendon, who struck out swinging, with Cowgill beating the throw to second and Carroll moving home to score on the delayed steal.
UK stretched its lead to 5-0 with three runs in the bottom of the second, Tyler Howe led off with a single to left and Marcus Nidiffer drew a walk. Wilkes scored Howe with a single and Carroll notched his first two RBI with a single into right field.
Ole Miss got two runs in the third inning, getting a lead-off infield single from Tim Ferguson, who moved to second on a productive groundout from Brett Basham. Jordan Henry scored Ferguson with the first run for Ole Miss, ripping a double into the gap. Fuller Smith singled up the middle to score Henry, making it 5-2 UK.
UK added three runs in the fourth inning, getting a lead off walk from Howe, and a one-out free pass from Wiley. Wilkes scored Howe for the second time with a single into left and Carroll got his second two-bagger of the game, scoring Wiley and Wilkes.
Ole Miss narrowed the UK lead with a run in the fifth, as Henry led off with a single, scoring on Logan Power?s RBI single up the middle.
In the seventh, UK got two runs on three hits, getting a lead-off single from Cowgill and an RBI double from McClendon, his 10th of the year. Spear added his 15th double of the year, scoring McClendon.
The Rebels got one more run in the eighth, as Michael Guerrero led off with a double, scoring on an RBI groundout from Tim Ferguson.
Carroll continued his torrid pace in the eighth, as Wilkes drew a one-out walk and Carroll scored him with his 15th homer of the year, sent over the right-field fence.
