No. 23 Kentucky baseball outlasts Alabama in extra innings to keep win streak alive
Kentucky Wildcats pitcher Darren Williams (5) pitches the ball during the Kentucky vs. Indiana State baseball game on Saturday, March 4, 2023, at Kentucky Proud Park in Lexington, Kentucky. Kentucky won 4-2. Photo by Travis Fannon | Staff
March 25, 2023
No. 23 Kentucky kicked off its second SEC series on Friday with a 4-3 win over Alabama at Sewell-Thomas Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
The win brought Kentucky’s SEC record to 4-0 while also adding to its now 16-game win streak, the longest active Division-1 win streak in the nation.
The Wildcats would get on the board early in the top of the first when a double from senior Jackson Gray was followed by an RBI single from senior Jase Felker, giving Kentucky a one run lead.
After stealing second and reaching third on a throwing error, Felker would also reach home following a groundout by sophomore Emilien Pitre, extending the Kentucky advantage to two.
Senior Logan Martin would start on the mound for Kentucky, recording two strikeouts as he retired the side in the bottom of the first.
After a hitless top of the second from Kentucky, Martin would retire the side again to maintain the Wildcat lead.
With Kentucky going scoreless in the third, a pitching change would be made in the bottom of the inning to graduate student Darren Williams, who would retire the first three batters he faced.
Sophomore Devin Burkes would reach scoring position in the top of the fourth after his single was followed by a sacrifice bunt from Pitre and he would be plated shortly after when redshirt senior Hunter Gilliam extended his hit streak to 15 games with an RBI single to put another run on the board.
Williams would retire the side with three strikeouts in the bottom of the fourth to keep the Crimson Tide scoreless.
After Kentucky failed to score in the top of the fifth, the Crimson Tide would get on the board after a pair of singles were followed by an RBI single from Alabama redshirt junior Andrew Pinckney to make the score 3-1.
The dry spell continued for Kentucky as it failed to record a hit in the top of the sixth, with Williams recording a strikeout as he retired the side in the bottom of the inning.
With both teams failing to score in the seventh inning, Kentucky would make a pitching change in the bottom of the eighth to sophomore Mason Moore.
Moore recorded two strikeouts in the bottom of the eighth after the Wildcats failed to extend their lead in the top of the inning.
Entering the ninth inning, the Wildcats would fail to put runs on the board despite sophomore Nolan McCarthy reaching scoring position after a single and a sacrifice bunt by senior Ryder Giles.
Needing two runs to force extra innings, the Crimson Tide would start the bottom of the ninth with two consecutive singles followed by a throwing error that saw runners on second and third.
With Kentucky making another pitching change to Seth Chavez, Alabama would bring the score within one after a single from sophomore Will Hodo.
After a punchout from Chavez, Alabama would draw even after a wild pitch, making the score 3-3.
Despite Alabama loading the bases, Chavez would get out of the inning after a flyout was followed by Chavez’s second strikeout as the game entered extra innings.
Kentucky wouldn’t score in the top of the tenth, making another pitching change in the bottom of the inning to redshirt sophomore Zach Hise, who would retire the side in the bottom of the tenth to send the Cats back to the batter’s box.
A winner wouldn’t be decided in the eleventh inning as both sides failed to record hits.
Sophomore Grant Smith would reach base early in the top of the twelfth after being hit by a pitch, advancing to third after a single from Gray, and the deadlock would be broken shortly after when a wild pitch would bring him home to give Kentucky the lead late in the night.
The Wildcats would make their final pitching change to junior Ryan Hagenow, who would record two strikeouts to close out the inning and give them the win.
The Wildcats will look to clinch their second SEC series when they take on Alabama in game two on Saturday, March. 25, at noon EST with the game being aired on SEC Network+.
