Gray-t Day: Jackson Gray Leads No. 11 Kentucky to Sunday Victory
Jackson Gray homered, hit a bases loaded triple and reached base four times to lead No. 11 Kentucky to an 8-1 bounce back victory over Texas A&M on Sunday afternoon at Kentucky Proud Park.
No. 11 Kentucky reached 30 wins overall, are 30-9 overall and 11-7 in Southeastern Conference play. The win salvaged a weekend in which it was one out from winning the series.
The Wildcats scored a pair of single runs in the first and second innings before Gray blew the game open in the seventh with his base-clearing triple into the right field corner. Left-handed pitcher Evan Byers did incredible work on the mound to get out of a sticky situation and outfielder Ryan Waldschmidt made several highlight reel defensive plays in left field to dissolve potential Aggie threats.
NOTES
- UK Coach Nick Mingione is in his seventh season at the helm and now owns a 206-138 career record.
- Mingione is 92-45 at Kentucky Proud Park.
- UK is 49-50 in the month of April under Coach Mingione.
- Mingione now is 5-7 vs. Texas A&M.
- UK has scored in 337 of 344 games under Coach Mingione.
- UK has outscored its opponents 148-45 in the 5th through 7th
- Outfielder Jackson Gray went 3-for-3 with two runs, four RBI, with a triple, a home run and a walk.
- It was Gray’s first home run since his grand slam at Western Kentucky on March 28.
- He now has four triples this season, the most in a season for a UK player in the Nick Mingione era (seven seasons).
- He reached all four times he came to the plate.
- He has a season-high eight-game hit streak.
- Outfielder Ryan Waldschmidt went 2-for5 with a double.
- He made two incredible catches in left field, one that began a double play.
- Pitcher Evan Byers earned his second win of the season.
ON DECK
Kentucky hosts Louisville on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET. The radio call will be on the UK Sports Network (630 AM WLAP, locally) and it will be aired on the SEC Network.
