Kentucky Baseball Tops Murray State, 4-1
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PADUCAH, Ky. – Evan White and Zach Reks hit back-to-back home runs in the third inning, and Kentucky got solid pitching from starter Zach Logue as the Wildcats beat Murray State 4-1 in a rain-shortened, eight-inning game on Tuesday night at Brooks Stadium.
With the win, Kentucky (30-23) has now notched at least 30 wins in five straight seasons, the longest such streak in school history.
White, a sophomore first baseman, homered to left field with one out in the second inning, his fourth long ball of the season, to give the Cats a 1-0 lead. Two pitches later, it was Reks going long, hitting his sixth homer of the season to make it 2-0.
In addition to staking the Wildcats to a lead, both players extended hitting streaks in the process. White extended his hitting streak to 12 games, his second streak of at least double digits this season (White had a 21-game hitting streak earlier this season). Reks’ homer gave him a streak of eight straight games with at least one hit, his longest streak of 2016.
Kentucky extended its lead in the sixth inning. Sophomore shortstop Riley Mahan led off the frame with a single, then scored on a double by senior outfielder Dorian Hairston to make it 3-0 Cats. Junior designated hitter Gunnar McNeill followed with a double of his own, scoring Hairston to extend the lead to 4-0.
Meanwhile, Logue was holding Murray State in check. The sophomore left-hander allowed just five hits in five and two-thirds innings, walking none and striking out seven while earning his third win of the season against just one loss.
Murray State got its lone run of the game in the seventh inning off of Kentucky reliever Zach Pop.
Mahan had two hits in the game to up his season average to .308. Freshman catcher Kole Cottam also had two hits for the Wildcats.
Kentucky returns to action on Thursday, as the Wildcats open their final SEC series of the regular season by facing the Missouri Tigers. First pitch at Cliff Hagan Stadium is set for 6:30 p.m. ET.
For the latest on the Kentucky athletics, follow @UKathletics on Twitter and Facebook, as well as on the web at UKathletics.com.
