LEXINGTON, Kent. — On a rainy Friday night in Kentucky to open Southeastern Conference action, the Wildcats claimed a 16-10 win over No. 25 Georgia.
Kentucky (15-3, 1-0 SEC) erased a couple of early deficits with three five-run innings and tallied 14 hits including seven for extra bases. The Bulldogs (17-2, 0-1 SEC) could never have a big inning despite scoring in six of nine innings.
The Bulldogs grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first. With one out, sophomore Charlie Condon (1-for-3, 2 RBI, 2IBB) was hit by a pitch and took second on a wild pitch. Graduate Dylan Goldstein laced a run-scoring single to left. The Bulldogs loaded the bases and junior Henry Hunter drove a Travis Smith offering to the wall in left field that stayed in the park for a sacrifice fly. Georgia extended its lead to 4-0 in the second, scoring two runs on two hits and three walks.
Graduate Dillon Carter led off the frame with his fifth home run. Slate Alford followed with a double and Condon was intentionally walked. With one out, Fernando Gonzalez drew a walk to load the bases. Senior Corey Collins notched an RBI with his 16th walk of the year. Smith escaped without any further damage. The Wildcats got on the board in their half of the second courtesy of a wild pitch, one of five on the night by the Bulldogs. Mitchell Daly reached on a one out walk, took third on a base hit by Ryan Nicholson and then scored to make it 4-1.
In the fourth, the Wildcats sent nine to the plate as part of a five-run frame that chased graduate Charlie Goldstein. Kentucky collected six hits including three straight run-scoring doubles to surge ahead 6-4. The Bulldogs made it a one-run game when Collins connected for his third home run of the year, a solo shot in the fifth. The Bulldogs took a 7-6 lead in the sixth only to see Kentucky answer with another five-run outburst for a 11-7 advantage. The scoring started and ended with home runs, a solo blast from Nolan McCarthy and a two-run shot from Daly. Kentucky added its third five-run inning in the seventh to extend its lead to 16-7. Collins hit his second home run of the night in the eighth. In the ninth, Condon smashed a two-run double for the final.
Wildcat reliever Evan Byers picked up a win to move to 2-0, pitching a scoreless inning. Bulldog sophomore reliever Kolten Smith fell to 0-1, allowing five runs on five hits in 2.1 innings. He walked on and struck out five. The Bulldogs left 12 men on base.
“We didn’t play very well tonight,” said Georgia’s Ike Cousins head baseball coach Wes Johnson. “We scored 10 runs on only seven hits and left way too many baserunners on. We didn’t execute pitches when we needed to, especially in tight situations and did some uncharacteristic things. We have to get better with two strikes, tip your hat to Kentucky, they got the win tonight. We’re going to flush it and come back to the yard tomorrow and be ready to go.”
The Kentucky series continues Saturday with first pitch in Lexington set for 2 p.m.
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