Missed Opportunities Haunt No. 15 Kentucky in Defeat
NASHVILLE – Free bases and a RJ Schreck blast proved too much to overcome as No. 5 Vanderbilt rallied for a 6-4 victory over No. 15 Kentucky on Friday night at Hawkins Field.
The Wildcats (30-11, 11-8 Southeastern Conference) took leads of 2-0 and 3-2 but saw walks and a hit by pitch set the Commodores (30-11, 14-5) up and Schreck pummeled a pitch deep into right field seats for a two-run shot.
UK left eight runners on base in the first four innings, including the bases loaded twice, as it couldn’t completely cash in on forcing Vandy ace Carter Holton to throw 101 pitches without getting out of the fourth.
The difference was UK’s inability to find a hole with runners on base (2-for-19) and the opposite for the ‘Dores (5-for-15).
NOTES
- UK Coach Nick Mingione is in his seventh season at the helm and now owns a 206-140 career record.
- UK is 49-52 in the month of April under Coach Mingione.
- Mingione now is 5-12 vs. Vanderbilt.
- UK is 6-5 this season vs. ranked opponents.
- UK has scored in 339 of 346 games in Mingione’s tenure.
- Outfielder Jackson Gray went 1-for-3 with a run, walk and hit by pitch.
- He has a season-high 10-game hit streak.
- He is now 10-of-16 in his last five games.
- He reached base safely in 11 consecutive plate appearances (HR, 1B, BB, 3B, 1B, BB, BB, BB, 1B, BB, HBP) before a full-count strikeout in his fourth trip to the plate on the night.
- Outfielder Nolan McCarthy has reached safely in 20 straight games.
- Catcher Devin Burkes went 1-for-3 with a run, two RBI, a walk, a SAC and a stolen base.
- He also threw out a runner trying to steal second.
ON DECK
Kentucky faces No. 5 Vanderbilt on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET. The radio call will be on the UK Sports Network (630 AM WLAP, locally) and it will be streamed on the SEC Network+.
