No. 19 Kentucky baseball (21-4, 5-2 SEC) took down the LSU Tigers (17-10, 2-5 SEC) by a score of 7-4 in game one of the series deep in the Bayou.
Jaxon Jelkin continued his dominance on the mound, improving his record to 6-0 after eight dominant innings.
The consistent pitcher who was sidelined last year due to Tommy John surgery has emerged as one of Kentucky’s most prominent pitchers on the depth chart this season.
Jelkin shut down the defending national champions, embarrassing them on the mound with the help of his stellar defense behind him.
Jelkin pitched eight innings on 114 total pitches, which is the longest he’s gone in a game all season.
He also tallied seven strikeouts with just five Tiger hits to account for his box score.
Jelkin’s Friday pitch count surpassed his old season high of 94 pitches, where he also tossed seven innings in his contribution to the Wildcats 3-1 victory over No. 19 Ole Miss.
His seven appearances have all resulted in wins, as the gamble of Nick Mingione and the staff keeping Jelkin on the squad throughout his rehab assignments continues to pay off for the Wildcats.
With Jelkin’s consistency on the mound, he continues to fuel the offense, as they’ve given him excessive run support day in and day out.
Ethan Hindle was behind the fire in Friday night’s win, going 3-for-4 at the plate and finally getting back into a groove after a couple of quiet games in the past week.
Hindle rode a six-game hitting streak through the beginning of March while also earning SEC Player of the Week in that stretch.
He hit a little cold patch where he only got four hits after a series against The Citadel, including a four-game hitless streak, before he knocked an RBI double against Murray State.
A game in which Hindle was due, he cashed in for his team, helping anyway he could while also knowing his team was always there to back him up.
The ballgame remained 4-2 for most of the game after Kentucky jumped to an early 4-0 lead. LSU responded with two runs in the third, then the Tigers found a groove on the mound.
Hindle, however, was finished on his night, as his seventh-inning RBI double was the true dagger of the game.
The Wildcats went on to bring two more across the plate in the seventh, resulting in a three-run inning, which would be enough for Mingione to roll Jelkin back out for two more innings.
Hindle’s eleventh double of the year and nineteenth extra base hit still lead the team as he also increased his batting average from .271 to .292.
While Kentucky’s bullpen depth is healthy and rested after just utilizing two players Friday night, Jelkin will pass the rock to Nate Harris for Saturday’s matchup.
