After entering the weekend sputtering, Domnic Niman and Mason Moore delivered huge bounce back performances and propelled Kentucky baseball to a series victory over Arkansas.
When the Wildcats dropped game one, all eyes were on the duo to come through, but the normally sure-handed duo had been anything but entering the series.
For the lefty Niman, he had only pitched one total inning in his previous two starts against Tennessee and South Carolina, surrendering 10 earned runs across the two outings.
For the righty Moore, innings pitched was not an issue, but in his two starts he surrendered 14 earned runs.
This all led to the duo taking the mound with the series and critical games for postseason seeding on the line in the final two games.
Niman was up first in game two and he worked around a single and an error to pitch a scoreless first inning.
In the second, Niman got one out before giving up a walk and a home run, which put the Cats down 2-0.
The deficit was short-lived, however, as the Bat Cats scored three in the bottom half and Niman returned to the mound in the third with a lead, working around a single to pitch a scoreless frame.
“When we got hitters like we have and they can get your back after you give up some runs, it’s awesome,” Niman said.
After pitching a three-up, three-down fourth, Niman returned to the mound with a 7-2 lead and worked around a single to pitch a scoreless fifth. He returned to the mound for the sixth and got one out before giving up a walk, which ended his afternoon.
As he walked off the mound to a standing ovation from Big Blue Nation, his teammate Robert Hogan came on and struck out the next two batters, completing Niman’s line in the game which only had the two runs to show across his 5.1 innings of work.
“He’s one of the most competitive guys on our team and when he is on the attack like that, It’s really good for the Cats,” Kentucky head coach Nick Mingione said. “I was really happy for him, especially after the last couple outings for him to get that and thank you to the fans for lifting him up when he came off the field that was awesome.”
When the game finished, the Wildcats won 11-3, which meant Moore would take the mound for the rubber match in game three.
After finishing his warm up tosses with the anticipation at a boiling point, Moore struck out the first two batters he faced before walking the next two. Despite anxiety rising, Moore struck out the next batter to end the frame.
In the second, Moore returned to the mound with a 1-0 lead and worked around a walk to remain scoreless before pitching a three-up, three-down third.
After his offense added two more runs in the third, Moore struck out the first batter in the fourth before he hit and walked the next two batters. He then rolled a double play to escape the jam.
”We have a great defense and I’m gonna keep trusting the guys behind me to make plays for me,” Moore said.
In the fifth, Moore trotted to the mound with a 6-0 lead after his offense added three more runs and gave up a leadoff single before getting the first out. Back-to-back hits gave the Razorbacks a run off of Moore, who got into deeper trouble by hitting the next batter which loaded the bases.
A sacrifice fly brought home another Razorback before Moore struck out the next batter which ended the frame and his afternoon.
“There are times where he might lose the zone a bit, but it’s just really hard to string together hit after hit,” Mingione said. “He stayed on the attack and got us five big ones.”
The Wildcats held onto their lead and took the series in game three.
Both men credited midweek adjustments to their bounce back performances.
“Just really flushing it,” Niman said. “Just telling myself that my stuff is good enough and it works. I just gotta let the previous week go, and move on to the next.”
As the regular season nears its end and postseason play rapidly approaches, the duo will look to build on their series clinching rebound performances.
LMatt • May 10, 2024 at 10:59 am
What a complete team and Niman and Moore are so talented! Its was an exciting weekend at KPP! Hope it follows them to Gainesville!