Kentucky Unable to Get Bats Going in Season-Opening 2-0 Loss at Elon
Kentucky baseball stumbled to a 2-0 season-opening loss on Friday at Elon, a defeat that's reminiscent of many previous outings that haven't gone the Bat Cats' way in recent years.
Elon (1-0) lefty Shea Sprague was terrific for the Phoenix, giving up just four hits in six innings, striking out three and walking two. Kentucky (0-1) never got a runner to third base and went 0-11 with runners on base in the defeat.
Solid contact was a rarity at Latham Park. Division III transfer Logan Martin toed the slab for the Cats, delivering five innings of six-hit, two-run baseball. He fanned six and walked just one in his Wildcat debut, but quickly surrendered the lead in the bottom of the second inning.
Martin left a two-strike breaking ball over the plate, leading to what seemed to be just a towering pop-up from Elon second baseman Tanner Holliman. That was, until the windy North Carolina weather grabbed the thought-to-be can of corn, taking the ball over the left field fence, putting the Phoenix on top 1-0.
The lead doubled and ultimately stayed put in the bottom of the third, as a pair of singles and a hit-by-pitch brought home the final run of the game. First baseman Cole Reynolds poked a base hit through the left side of the infield, scoring left fielder Charlie Granatell.
Poor base running hurt the Wildcats, as both center fielder Nolan McCarthy and first baseman Hunter Gilliam were picked-off by the crafty lefty Sprague. A pair of double plays also served as rally-killers.
While the bats failed to get going for UK, the presence of seventh-year righty Darren Williams was a spectacle.
The Maysville, Ky. native threw three scoreless innings of relief in his first appearance since undergoing Tommy John Surgery less than a year ago. He fanned seven and didn't allow a hit.
Catcher Devin Burkes worked a lead-off walk in the top of the seventh and was moved to second thanks to a bunt from second baseman Émilien Pitre. A pair of grounders from Gilliam and Eastern Kentucky transfer Kendal Ewell ended the rare threat.
Opportunity again arose in the eighth, as McCarthy reached second base on a throwing error by Elon shortstop Will Vergantino. With one out, reliever Liam Dabagian worked a Grant Smith pop-out and Ryan Waldschmidt fly ball to CF to retire the side.
Veteran right-hander Ben Simon came in to close the deal in the ninth and did just that, striking out the side to start Kentucky's season off on the wrong foot.
Kentucky left just four runners on base and struck out six times in the deflating loss. It will look to get in the win column for the first time on Saturday afternoon, as game two of the three-game set between the Wildcats and Phoenix is set to begin at 2 p.m. EST.
Want the latest on national football and basketball recruiting, including Cats targets? Head over to SI All-American for the latest news, blogs, and updates about the nation's best prospects.
Sports Illustrated also offers insight, information and up to the minute details for gamblers. Check it out here.