Post by Babyboomer on Mar 22, 2007 10:16:53 GMT -5
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Powered by multi-hit performances from seniors Mike Brown and Sean Coughlin, the No. 11 Kentucky baseball team broke open a close game Wednesday with six runs in the seventh inning and cruised to a 12-5 win against intra-state rival Western Kentucky at Cliff Hagan Stadium.
The Wildcats (21-2, 1-2 Southeastern Conference), who are undefeated in non-conference games this season and have won 18 consecutive mid-week games against non-league competition, trailed the Hilltoppers (8-11) 5-1 after the top of the third inning. Kentucky responded with three runs in the bottom of the third inning, took the lead in the fifth and cruised to the victory.
Coughlin charted his team-leading 13th multi-RBI game of the season, leading the Wildcats at the plate with a 2-for-3 performance, driving in three. Right fielder Mike Brown also had two hits for his 12th multi-hit performance of the season. Coughlin also extended his hitting streak to a club-best 16 games.
Reliever Clint Tilford, one of a season-high nine UK pitchers on the night, earned his first collegiate victory, tossing a scoreless fifth inning. Peter Wiggins (0-2) took the loss for Western Kentucky, giving up the tying and go-ahead runs in one inning of work.
UK got on the board in the bottom of the second when Ryan Wilkes connected on his first triple of the season and the second of his career with one out. He was driven in on Antone DeJesus' RBI ground out to second base.
Western Kentucky (8-11, 3-3 Sun Belt) jumped on the Wildcats with five runs on six hits in the third inning. Scott Kaskie and Terrence Dayleg led off the frame with back-to-back singles before right fielder Troy Frazier drove in Kaskie with a single to center field. Two at-bats later, first baseman Wade Gaynor singled through the left side to plate Dayleg and Frazier. After Tyler Bumgarner followed, reaching on an error and he and Gaynor scored when J.B. Paxson doubled to right field to give the Hilltoppers a 5-1 advantage.
The Wildcats cut their deficit to one run, 5-4, in the bottom of the third. Brown singled up the middle to begin the inning. With one out, Sawyer Carroll and Coughlin knocked in back-to-back doubles. Coughlin's two-bagger plated both Brown and Carroll to make score 5-3. Coughlin came around to score on a single to center field from Spear.
Kentucky regained the lead in the fifth inning as the Wildcats, the SEC team leader in walks, began the frame with four consecutive walks. Coughlin drew the inning's fourth walk to drive in Brown, the inning's lead off batter. He then scored when Matt McKinney grounded into a double play on the next at-bat to give UK a 6-5 advantage.
The Wildcats broke open the game in the bottom of the seventh as Brown singled to left field to open the inning and Jason Kipnis tripled down the right-field line into the corner, allowing Brown to score. A sacrifice fly to right field by Carroll on the next at-bat drove in Kipnis to extend UK's lead to 8-5. McKinney singled before consecutive walks were issued to Brian Spear and Wilkes. DeJesus singled to shortstop before a throwing error on WKU's Dayleg scored two runs. Wilkes scored on an RBI ground out by Anthony Ottrando.
Kentucky hits the road for its first league road series of the year when it travels to Baton Rouge, La., to take on LSU. The three-game set begins Friday at 8 p.m. EDT and will be carried live on the Big Blue Sports Network (630 WLAP-AM on Friday) with Dick Gabriel.
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