LEXINGTON, Ky. – No. 12/16 Kentucky scored five times in the first inning and pulled away late to hand No. 25/29 Missouri a 12-2 setback Friday evening in the opening game of the two clubs’ Southeastern Conference series at Kentucky Proud Park.
The tandem of Hunter Gilliam and Ryan Waldschmidt powered the Kentucky attack, combining to drive in eight of the Wildcats’ 10 runs, including all five of their first-inning tallies.
Gilliam sparked the home clubs’ early rally with a two-run single, then added to the lead with a two-run homer in the fifth. Waldschmidt punctuated the first-inning outburst with a three-run shot, before driving in his fourth run of the game with a sacrifice fly as part of a three-run sixth.
UK, which won for the 19th time in its last 20 games, logged Mizzou opponent season highs for both runs (12) and hits (11) in claiming its sixth SEC victory in seven conference games this season.
Kentucky (23-3, 6-1 SEC) also benefited from a strong outing from starting pitcher Darren Williams (2-0), who overcame a shaky first inning to pick up the mound victory with 5.0 solid frames. The right-hander limited the Tigers to a pair of runs on just two hits while striking out five.
The contest started on a positive note for the Tigers (19-7, 3-4 SEC), who grabbed an early 1-0 lead after Hank Zeisler was plunked by a Williams pitch with the bases loaded. But the UK starting pitcher recovered to retired back-to-back Mizzou hitters with the bases still full to avoid further damage.
The Wildcats batted around in the opening frame, putting five straight hitters aboard following Austin Troesser’s (2-2) strikeout of leadoff man Jackson Gray. A walk and a hit batsman sandwiched a Devin Burkes single to load the bases, and Gilliam plated a pair with a base hit to left.
Next, Waldschmidt hammered a 3-1 offering over the wall in left-center field for a three-run homer and a 5-1 Kentucky lead.
Williams settled into a groove to retire eight straight Mizzou hitters and preserve the UK lead.
Luke Mann’s leadoff double in the fifth led to the second Tiger run of the game. After moving to third on Ty Wilmsmeyer’s grounder to the right side, Mann trotted home on a Trevor Austin sac fly to center to trim the margin to three runs.
Kyle Potthoff provided 3 2/3 innings of relief for Mizzou, holding the Wildcats scoreless on just one hit over his first three frames.
But UK kicked its offense into high gear to put the game out of reach, extending the lead to 7-2 on Gilliam’s two-run homer in the fifth, before taking advantage of three walks to score three more in the sixth.
Jase Felker, one of four Wildcats to record two hits in the game, ended the night with a two-run double in the seventh to complete the run-rule victory. Burkes also recorded a two-hit night for UK, while Emilien Pitre reached base safely in all four of his trips to the plate, driving in two runs while going 2-for-2 with a walk and a hit by pitch.
Dalton Bargo recorded two of Mizzou’s four hits in the contest, finishing 2-for-3 with a double.
TIGER NOTEBOOK
UP NEXT
The Tigers and Wildcats continue their series Saturday (April 1) with a 1 p.m. (CDT) contest at Kentucky Proud Park.
The tandem of Hunter Gilliam and Ryan Waldschmidt powered the Kentucky attack, combining to drive in eight of the Wildcats’ 10 runs, including all five of their first-inning tallies.
Gilliam sparked the home clubs’ early rally with a two-run single, then added to the lead with a two-run homer in the fifth. Waldschmidt punctuated the first-inning outburst with a three-run shot, before driving in his fourth run of the game with a sacrifice fly as part of a three-run sixth.
UK, which won for the 19th time in its last 20 games, logged Mizzou opponent season highs for both runs (12) and hits (11) in claiming its sixth SEC victory in seven conference games this season.
Kentucky (23-3, 6-1 SEC) also benefited from a strong outing from starting pitcher Darren Williams (2-0), who overcame a shaky first inning to pick up the mound victory with 5.0 solid frames. The right-hander limited the Tigers to a pair of runs on just two hits while striking out five.
The contest started on a positive note for the Tigers (19-7, 3-4 SEC), who grabbed an early 1-0 lead after Hank Zeisler was plunked by a Williams pitch with the bases loaded. But the UK starting pitcher recovered to retired back-to-back Mizzou hitters with the bases still full to avoid further damage.
The Wildcats batted around in the opening frame, putting five straight hitters aboard following Austin Troesser’s (2-2) strikeout of leadoff man Jackson Gray. A walk and a hit batsman sandwiched a Devin Burkes single to load the bases, and Gilliam plated a pair with a base hit to left.
Next, Waldschmidt hammered a 3-1 offering over the wall in left-center field for a three-run homer and a 5-1 Kentucky lead.
Williams settled into a groove to retire eight straight Mizzou hitters and preserve the UK lead.
Luke Mann’s leadoff double in the fifth led to the second Tiger run of the game. After moving to third on Ty Wilmsmeyer’s grounder to the right side, Mann trotted home on a Trevor Austin sac fly to center to trim the margin to three runs.
Kyle Potthoff provided 3 2/3 innings of relief for Mizzou, holding the Wildcats scoreless on just one hit over his first three frames.
But UK kicked its offense into high gear to put the game out of reach, extending the lead to 7-2 on Gilliam’s two-run homer in the fifth, before taking advantage of three walks to score three more in the sixth.
Jase Felker, one of four Wildcats to record two hits in the game, ended the night with a two-run double in the seventh to complete the run-rule victory. Burkes also recorded a two-hit night for UK, while Emilien Pitre reached base safely in all four of his trips to the plate, driving in two runs while going 2-for-2 with a walk and a hit by pitch.
Dalton Bargo recorded two of Mizzou’s four hits in the contest, finishing 2-for-3 with a double.
TIGER NOTEBOOK
- Mizzou dropped its fourth straight SEC contest following its 3-0 start to the conference season
- The Tigers fell to 12-16 all-time vs. Kentucky, including a 4-8 mark in Lexington
- Mizzou dropped its first game of the season when scoring first, falling to 17-1 in such contests
- Mann’s fifth-inning double extended his hit streak to seven games
- Bargo recorded his ninth multi-hit game, which shares the team lead
- Mizzou dropped to 2-4 on its current nine-game road trip
- Potthoff turned in his second consecutive outing of 3.0-plus innings in SEC play
- Daniel Wissler recorded his second straight scoreless relief outing and his third in four appearances on Mizzou’s current road trip
UP NEXT
The Tigers and Wildcats continue their series Saturday (April 1) with a 1 p.m. (CDT) contest at Kentucky Proud Park.
