LEXINGTON, Ky. — Senior catcher Marcus Nidiffer got his seventh hit in the last two games but Lipscomb plated 10 runs in the first six innings and held on for a 10-8 midweek win over Kentucky, on Wednesday night at Cliff Hagan Stadium.
Kentucky (26-23) got a strong outing from Nidiffer, who went 5-for-7 with a homer in the game Tuesday night at Indiana and added a 2-for-4, two-RBI outing in Wednesday’s game. Freshman Brian Adams, in only his second start of the season, went 3-for-4 with a double and a RBI while also scoring a run. Adams, a football wide receiver, set a new career-high with three hits, with his double coming as his first career extra-base hit.
UK will return to action Friday, beginning a three-game series with No. 20 LSU, the defending NCAA champions. First pitch Friday is slated for 6:30 p.m. ET and Saturday for 3 p.m. ET, with the series finale set for a 1 p.m. ET first pitch. Fans can hear the game 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 games live on WLAP 630-AM and in Louisville on WKJK 1080-AM, in addition to complete coverage on UKathletics.com.
Junior preseason All-America Chris Bisson posted his ninth multi-RBI game, going 1-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored, extending his hitting streak to a season-best 12 games. Seniors Gunner Glad and Keenan Wiley posted two hits each on the hit to extend Glad’s consecutive on-base streak to a team-high 29 games. Junior Lance Ray finished the game 1-for-3 with a RBI and two runs scored, adding his team-high 11th double of the season.
Kentucky used four pitchers in the game, starting freshman Sam Kidd (1-2) who lasted four innings giving up seven runs, six earned, on six hits and one walk. Kidd was replaced in the game by sophomore Chase Greene who lasted 1.1 innings allowing three runs, two earned, on three hits and one strikeout in his third appearance of the season. Sophomore Sean Bouthilette was impressive in his 3.1 innings of work, allowing only two hits and no runs while striking out three. Nick Kennedy came into the game in the top of the ninth to get the third out by strikeout.
The Bisons used four pitchers in the game, with Matt Bowling going four innings, allowing seven hits and five runs, walking six. Alex Ross (2-3) picked up the win, going a perfect fifth inning, striking out two. Chris Nunn relieved Ross and handcuffed UK through his first two innings, before allowing three runs in the bottom of the eighth. Lipscomb then got the first save of the season from Josh Cotham, who allowed one hit and one walk in the bottom of the ninth inning.
Lipscomb (17-31) got on the board first in the game, getting a two-run two-out homer by Ryan Wilkins. After Tyler Wilson flied out to left to start the inning, M.L. Williams hit an infield single. Two batters later, Wilkins blasted a laser into leftfield for his eighth homer of the year, giving Lipscomb a 2-0 lead.
Kentucky scored three runs on two hits in the bottom of the first inning. The inning started when Bisson walked, stealing second before Neiko Johnson walked. Ray then doubled to score Bisson and put two in scoring position for Glad, who walked to load the bases. Nidiffer then picked up an easy RBI, getting hit by a pitch that scored Johnson. Wiley singled to leftfield to score Ray for the second run of the inning. Taylor Black then hit into a double play for the first two outs of the inning, allowing Glad to score and give UK a one-run lead.
Lipscomb took the lead back in the top of the third inning when Wilkins blasted his second homer of the game, this one of the three-run variety. After Kidd got an out to start the frame, Williams got hit by a pitch and Zach Messer singled up the middle before Wilkins scorched a ball well over the leftfield wall. The blats gave the Bisons a 5-3 lead.
The Bisons posted a run in the top of the fourth on a sacrifice fly from Tyler Wilson that scored Kyle Henry, who reached base on an error by Glad.
UK answered with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the frame to cut the Bisons’ lead to two. The inning started with Black grounding out to short followed by freshman Luke Maile walking and stealing second before Adams hit a single through the left side to put runners on the corners. Bisson then hit a high fly to left-centerfield that easily scored Maile and made the score 6-4.
Lipscomb would respond with Messer belting a solo homer to start the top of the fifth. The homer would be the only run scored in the frame for the Bisons, taking their lead to 7-4.
The Wildcats plated a run in the bottom of the fifth getting a RBI single from Nidiffer. Lipscomb would then turn to the pen with runners on base, getting three consecutive outs to end the UK rally.
Lipscomb busted the game open in sixth inning, getting three runs on three hits and a Kentucky error. The inning started when Kyle Henry walked and was sacrificed over to second by Logan Hostettler. Lee Wilson then doubled to rightfield to score Henry and after a single by Tyler Wilson, Williams singled in two runs to give the Bisons a 10-5 lead.
Kentucky would mount a rally in the eighth getting three runs to cut the Bisons lead to two. The inning started with Wiley reaching on a bunt single, advancing to second when Maile walked. Adams then sent a double down the leftfield line to plate Wiley and put two in scoring position for Bisson, who singled to right to score Maile. Andy Burns then hit into a fielder’s choice that scored Adams from third. The inning ended when Ray flied out to rightfield.
