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LEXINGTON, Ky. – A five-run first-inning proved to be the difference maker as Kentucky defeated the Morehead State baseball team 9-4 Wednesday before 1,675 fans at Cliff Hagan Stadium.
Kentucky improved to 16-9 in 2015, while MSU, which defeated the Wildcats when they were ranked 12
th last season, fell to 11-12.
Kentucky staked itself to the 5-0 advantage in the first, scoring via two singles, a hit-by-pitch and a balk from MSU freshman starter Seth Boyle.
"Once again, we had some self-inflicted wounds that cost us," Head Coach Mike McGuire said. "But I thought after the first inning we played the best we have played in two weeks. We competed at the plate, got quality pitching for the most part and hit the ball hard. We got unlucky at the plate a few times, but I was a little more encouraged today."
The Eagles trimmed the lead to 6-4 with a pair of round-trippers in the fourth. Senior designated hitter Nick Newell drilled a two-run bomb to score senior shortstop Robby Spencer, and sophomore third baseman Alex Stephens connected on a two-run job, his first Division I four-bagger.
The hosts pulled back ahead 8-4 in the sixth via a two-run double, and added a final tally on a ninth-stanza RBI single.
UK reliever Taylor Martin was credited with the victory, his first of the season. He tossed 2.1 innings, surrendering just one hit, after starter Zach Pop exited with two outs in the fourth.
Boyle fell to 0-2 with the loss. He allowed five hits and six earned runs in three frames.
Second baseman JaVon Shelby and leftfielder Ka'ai Tom collected two hits for the Wildcats, while sophomore catcher Jimmy Wright produced two hits for the visitors.
Morehead State returns home to host Eastern Kentucky for a three-game OVC series this weekend. Game one is set for Friday at 3 p.m. ET. Tickets to all MSU home baseball games are $5 for adults and $2 for children ages 2-12. Weather permitting, all three games will be webcast live on OVCDigitalNetwork.com.
