Murray State
Kentucky
'Breds Battle At No. 25 Kentucky
2/22/2007 6:00:00 AM | Baseball
The Murray State Thoroughbreds rebounded from its loss at Louisville on Tuesday, battling No. 25 Kentucky toe-to-toe, but fell to the homestanding Wildcats in the late innings, 8-5.
The 'Breds (0-2) allowed two runs in the first inning, but took a 4-2 lead in the fifth inning on a grand slam by senior catcher Jason Payton, his second home run in as many days. Kentucky (4-0) responded with two runs in the bottom of the inning to tie the game at 4-4.
The Wildcats went ahead on a leadoff home run by Jason Kipnis, then scored three unearned runs in the eighth inning. Murray State plated a run in the ninth inning for the 8-5 final.
"I thought we were much-improved today, just in the way we carried ourselves," said MSU head coach Rob McDonald. "I felt like, at Louisville, it looked like we were just happy to be out there playing against somebody. Today, I felt like we played to win, and our guys competed real well. We got pretty good pitching, and our defense was solid. (Center fielder Tyler) Pittman made a great over-the-head running catch. We got some timely hitting, and I thought we competed pretty well at the plate against a top-25 team."
Payton went 3-for-4 with a double, a home run and four runs batted in. Pittman went 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored, while Seth Hudson went 2-for-3 and Jamie Leidolf went 2-for-5.
In the field, first baseman James Akin had a team-high eight putouts, while senior second baseman Hudson had ateam-high three assists.
Kentucky was led by Sawyer Carroll, who went 3-for-4 with two doubles, two runs and two RBIs. Matt McKinney went 3-for-5 with two RBIs, while Billy Grace went 2-for-3. Sean Coughlin had a double for the Wildcats.
In the field, first baseman Carroll and catcher Tyler Howe each had a game-hgih 10 putouts, while Howe had a game-high five assists.
On the mound, freshman left-hander Matt McGaha (0-1) took the loss, allowing one run on the leadoff home run in the seventh inning, striking out two and walking two in 2-1/3 innings. McGaha struck out two of the first three batters he faced, in the sixth inning. Sophomore righty Marc Harmon started the game, allowing four runs on nine hits, striking out four and walking two in 4-2/3 innings. Sophomore lefty Anthony Stacy closed the game for the 'Breds, allowing three unearned runs on one hit, striking out one and walking one in one inning.
For Kentucky, Aaron Lovett (1-0) got the win in relief, allowing one run on three hits, striking out five and walking two in 3-2/3 innings. Tyler Henry came on in the ninth and got his first save of the season, allowing one hit in two-thirds of an inning. Duran Ferguson started for the Wildcats, allowing one run on four hits, striking out eight and walking two in four-plus innings, while Tommy Warner came on in the fifth inning, allosing three runs on four hits in two-thirds of an inning.
Murray State stays in the Southeastern Conference, traveling to Starkville, Miss., this weekend for a three-day, three-game series at Mississippi State. The first game of that series is on Friday at 4 p.m., followed by a Saturday 2 p.m. game and a Sunday 1:30 p.m. game.
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