Cats finding comfort at home, clinch series victory over No. 23 UCSB
Infielder Riley Mahan hits the ball during a game against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers on Wednesday, March 1, 2017 in Lexington, Ky. Photo by Carter Gossett | Staff
March 4, 2017
UK baseball clinched its first weekend series victory of 2017 on Saturday after grabbing a 3-2 win over No. 23 UC Santa Barbara a day after taking down the Gauchos 2-1 in game one of the series.
The Cats were able to ride yet another solid pitching performance from its starter after Sean Hjelle threw 7.1 innings of one-run ball in the teams win Friday.
Zach Logue fired seven-scoreless innings, allowing just four hits and two walks while adding three strikeouts. Saturday’s win was Logue’s second straight victory and his performance brought his ERA down to 2.08.
“They are a west coast team,” Logue said. “They like to bunt and run and stuff like that, so our big thing was to get the first guy out in the inning. I did not do a great job of that but we were able to hold them off.”
The Cats were able to jump out to a 1-0 lead in the third inning and then pad that lead with a two-run home run by Riley Mahan in the sixth. Mahan continued his offensive outburst to start the season and is now up to three home runs on the year along with a team-leading 16 RBI.
Mahan has been huge for the Cats after a shaky start, and his two-run home run was the biggest play of Saturday’s game, especially when the Gauchos rallied in the ninth.
UCSB came out swinging in the ninth with a pair of hits to open the frame, and then was able to push across a pair of runs against Cats reliever Zach Pop. Coach Nick Mingione replaced Pop with Logan Salow who allowed the tying run to get to third, but struck out UCSB’s Thomas Rowan to give the Cats their second straight W over the Gauchos, and fourth straight overall.
UK will be looking to complete the sweep on Sunday as well as win its fifth straight game, all of which have come at home. If the Cats are able to complete the sweep on Sunday, it will be as good a start as any at Cliff Hagan Stadium for Mingione and company.
“It is like anything else when you spend time away from somewhere,” Mingione said. “At first when you get back it feels really weird, and the next thing you know it’s like ‘Wow, this is what it is supposed to be, this is home this is comfort.’”
