Wildcats Belt Six Homers In 18-5 Romp Past Error-Prone Bulldogs
May 12, 2006 | Baseball
* Official Statistics (PDF)
LEXINGTON, Ky. - No. 7 Kentucky scored six times in the seventh and eighth innings and hit a season-high six home runs as the SEC-leading Wildcats (38-11, 17-6 SEC) pounded out a series-opening 18-5 win over No. 19 Mississippi State (33-17, 11-13 SEC) on a misty Friday night at Cliff Hagan Stadium. It was the biggest margin of victory for Kentucky in the series and the Bulldogs' most lop-sided loss this season.
The first five in the UK batting order combined for 12 of Kentucky's 19 hits, including a two-home run showing by designated hitter Sean Coughlin. Collin Cowgill homered and drove in four runs while Ryan Strieby had three hits and drove in three runs, two on his 15th round tripper of the year.
Kentucky survived a shaky start to Friday's game. State parlayed a doubles by Thomas Berkery and Joseph McCaskill and singles by Brian LaNinfa and Joseph Hunter into a two-run first inning off Kentucky starter Aaron Tennyson. Tennyson left the game with a deep ankle bruise after being struck by Hunter's smash hit. Matt Robinson replaced Tennyson and walked the first batter he faced to load the bases. But he got out of the inning when Matt Richardson's first-pitch grounder was reeled in for a force out at third base.
The Bulldogs matched a season-high with five errors, two coming in the first inning when Kentucky claimed a 4-2 lead. In the inning MSU starter Brooks Dunn (8-5) fanned the first batter he faced and then walked Cowgill. Strieby followed with a bouncer to third base for what appeared to be the start of an inning-ending double play. But an errant throw to second base by Edward Easley ended up in right field, and a bobble by rightfielder Matt Richardson enabled the Wildcats to plate their first run. Coughlin followed with his and Kentucky's first home run of the game, a two-run blast that sailed over the center field wall. Three of the next four UK batters reached base, with Ryan Wilkes giving Kentucky a 4-2 lead with a run-scoring two-out single to right.
Kentucky scored again in the second to lead 5-2 and expanded its lead further when Shelby delivered a solo home run to left to open the fifth.
The Bulldogs loaded the bases in the sixth when Robinson walked two and hit a batter. But Mitch Moreland bounced into a double play to end the MSU threat, and the Wildcats put the game away with back-to-back six-run innings. A two-out throwing error by Easley opened the door for the first six-run burst in the seventh inning. Ten UK batters came to the plate in the inning, the first five faced by Dunn and the remainder by relief pitcher John Lalor. Lalor gave up back-to-back home runs by Strieby and Coughlin in the seventh and blasts by Shaun Lehmann and Cowgill when Lalor faced 11 batters in the eighth.
Jeff Butts hit his sixth home run of the season, a solo blast in the seventh, and Brooks Tinsley legged out a two-run double in the ninth to complete the game's scoring.
Dunn gave up nine runs (five earned) on 10 hits with two walks and five strikeouts. Lalor gave up nine runs on nine hits with three walks in 1-1/3 innings of game-closing relief.
Robinson (5-1) gave up just one hit, Butts' solo home run in the seventh, walked seven and struck out seven in his 7-2/3 innings of relief. Troy Ragle allowed a run on three hits and got the final two outs of the game.
The Bulldogs resume their weekend series against the Wildcats Saturday at 6 p.m. (CDT).
KENTUCKY 18, MISSISSIPPI STATE 5
MSU 200 000 102 --- 5- 8-5UK 410 010 660 --- 18-19-1WP --- Matt Robinson (5-1). LP --- Brooks Dunn (8-5). HR --- Jeff Butts (6), Collin Cowgill (13), Ryan Strieby (15), Sean Coughlin-2 (13), John Shelby (14), Shawn Lehmann (7). T --- 3:25. ATT --- 2,068
