Cats toss 3-hit shutout of Ball State in NCAA Tourney opener
Kentucky catcher Devin Burkes embraced pitcher Mason Moore after Moore closed out Friday's 4-0 win over Ball State with five perfect innings of relief work. (Jeff Drummond/Cats Illustrated)
Jeff Drummond • CatsIllustrated
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@JDrumUK
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Pitching decisions can often be a major strategic challenge for coaches as their teams enter the NCAA Tournament.
Do you throw your ace to begin the double-elimination format, or do you rely on other members of the pitching staff to get you past the opening round and into the winners bracket?
Travis Smith and Mason Moore made it look like an easy choice for Kentucky head coach Nick Mingione on Friday in the opening game of the Lexington Regional, combining to throw a three-hit shutout against Ball State in a 4-0 win by the Wildcats.
Kentucky (37-18) advances to the winnners bracket where it will face the winner of tonight's Indiana-West Virginia matchup at Kentucky Proud Park.
A pair of Bluegrass State natives gave the Wildcats only their third NCAA Tournament shutout in program history and their first in 74 years.
Smith, who served as UK's mid-week starter for most of the season but took on a greater role late in the schedule, held the Cardinals scoreless through the first four innings, allowing only three hits and two walks.
The redshirt freshman right-hander encountered an early scoring threat with Ball State putting runners at second and third with one out in the first, but he recovered to end the inning without damage on a line drive and a strikeout.
"The great pitchers, they have another gear and another level," Mingione said. "And they have the ability to make the pitch when the game demands it. That's exactly what Travis did... and I thought it sent a statement.
"I really believe that no moment is too big for him. For us to hand the ball to a redshirt freshman in this environment, with everything on the line, no moment is too big for him."
Smith then handed the ball to Mason Moore, who closed the game out with five perfect innings of relief. The sophomore right-hander retired all 14 batters he faced, including the first for a ground-ball double play when the Cats were still clining to a 1-0 lead in the fifth inning.
"The job that Mason did was just incredible," said Mingione, noting how important it was to get a Game 1 victory while using only two arms.
Moore (3-1) needed only 50 pitches to complete five full innings of work in one of the Cats' most efficient performances of the season.
"When they brought in their relief pitcher, I thought he was outstanding," Ball State head coach Rich Maloney said of Moore. "Really stymied us."
Ball State (36-22) got its own strong pitching performance from Trennor O'Donnell, who held the Cats to just two runs on four hits and a walk over 7.1 innings on the mound. The senior right-hander (5-4) held the potent UK offense to just a solo home run by Devin Burkes entering the eighth inning.
The Cats broke the game open with a run on a bases-loaded wild pitch and a two-run single by Emilien Pitre in the eighth inning.
Moore retired the final three batters in routine fashion as the crowd of 4,935 -- the third-largest to ever see a UK baseball game -- roared with approval.
