A nightmare inning and missed opportunities cost Kentucky baseball (1-1) in the second game of its doubleheader as it fell to Lipscomb (1-1) by a score of 3-1.
Game two started out as pitchers’ duel between Ben Cleaver and Rigo Ramos, with both pitchers tossing three scoreless frames.
Cleaver had the strikeout pitch working as the lefty struck out five batters in his first three innings.
What became Cleaver’s downfall in this outing was walks, as he gave up three consecutive leadoff walks to open innings two through four.
He escaped trouble in the second and third, but things got away from him and the Wildcats after the leadoff walk in the fourth.
The Cats got a taste of their own medicine in the fourth as back-to-back bunts put pressure on their defense and a costly throwing error by Devin Burkes gave the Bison a 1-0 lead.
Lipscomb wouldn’t stop there as Damion Kenealy Jr. singled to bring home another run.
After Cleaver got the second out of the inning, Kentucky Head Coach Nick Mingione opted for Robert Hogan out of the bullpen.
This backfired as Hogan did not have good control and threw multiple wild pitches that led to Kenealy Jr. scoring and extending the Bison lead to 3-0.
The Bat Cats had a golden opportunity to respond offensively in the top of the fifth as Cole Hage singled and Tyler Bell and Ethan Hindle walked to load the bases with one out. However, Kyuss Gargett and Luke Lawrence struck out to end the frame.
Jackson Nove came in and shut down the Lipscomb offense by pitching three scoreless innings.
The Bat Cats had another massive opportunity in the top of the eighth when Patrick Herrera drew a pinch-hit walk and Lawrence was hit by a pitch. Both runners advanced to second and third on a wild pitch.
Will Marcy struck out for the second out and Burkes lined out to end the frame.
Kentucky did not go quiet in the ninth as Hage reached with one out and advanced to second on defensive indifference before being driven home Dylan Koontz to avoid the shutout.
Ultimately, the late rally came up short and resulted in the 3-1 defeat.
The Wildcats were only able to record three hits in the entire game.
With the series now tied, the Bat Cats will return to action for the rubber match against Lipscomb on Sunday, Feb. 16, with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m. ET.
