FB Recruiting Cards crush Cats

[Jeff Drummond]

Cards crush Cats

Jeff Drummond • CatsIllustrated.com
@JDrumUK

Louisville sweeps season series with 18-6 win over Kentucky. Cardinals score multiple runs in six straight innings against revolving door of 10 Wildcat pitchers.

Kentucky shortstop Austin Schultz showed the ball to an umpire after tagging out a sliding Cardinal at second base.
Jeff Drummond/Cats Illustrated

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Kentucky reached a low point in what has already been a tough season on the diamond Tuesday as rival Louisville pounded the Wildcats 18-6 to sweep the season home-and-home series.

The No. 7 Cardinals pounded the UK pitching staff for runs in seven of nine innings, collecting 23 hits and eight walks against a revolving door of 10 Wildcats on the mound. Six of them surrendered runs and the defense committed five errors in the nightmare four-hour, 14-minute game at Kentucky Proud Park.

In two games this season against Louisville, Kentucky committed seven errors leading to 13 unearned runs.

Kentucky (20-17) started the night on a good note, jumping out to a 5-1 lead after two innings on the strength of home runs by Ryan Shinn and Breydon Daniel.

The good vibes wouldn't last long, though, as Louisville (29-8) struck for two runs in the third inning, three in the fourth, four in the fifth, two in the sixth, four in the seventh and two in the eighth to turn the game into an uncompetitive romp.

Seven different Cards had multi-hit games, led by four from third baseman Alex Binelas. He also scored four runs and drove in a pair. Jake Snider, Logan Wyatt and Justin Lavey each collected three hits for UofL.

The Cards finished the game 10-for-17 (.588) in two-out situations.

Daniel and Ryan Johnson were the lone UK batters with multiple hits. Daniel was just a single shy of hitting for the cycle, finishing with a double, triple and a home run.

Kentucky returns to action with a three-game SEC series against Tennessee beginning Thursday at KPP.

 

[Jeff Drummond]

SCORING

Bottom 1st – Ryan Shinn homered to LCF. UK 1, Louisville 0.


Top 2nd – Logan Wyatt singled to LF, advanced to second on Danny Oriente’s groundout and scored on Justin Lavey’s bloop double just inside the LF line.UK 1, Louisville 1.


Bottom 2nd – T.J. Collett was hit by a pitch and scored on Breydon Daniel’s home run to RF. Ryan Johnson doubled down the LF line, Zeke Lewis singled to RF and Austin Schultz walked to load the bases. Coltyn Kessler walked, scoring Johnson and loading the bases. Lewis scored on a wild pitch. UK 5, Louisville 1.


Top 3rd – Jake Snider doubled inside the 1B bag and scored on Tyler Fitzgerald’s triple to LCF. Wyatt grounded out, scoring Fitzgerald. UK 5, Louisville 3.


Top 4th – Alex Binelas singled to LF to open the inning and moved to second on a groundout. Pinch hitter Drew Campbell reached on a fielder’s choice with Binelas advancing to third. Lucas Dunn doubled to RCF, scoring Binelas and Campbell. Snider singled to LF, scoring Dunn. Louisville 6, UK 5.


Top 5th – Wyatt singled to LF to open the inning, advanced to second on a wild pitch and third on pinch hitter Zach Britton’s single. Binelas singled up the middle, scoring Wyatt. Binelas moved from first to third on a failed pickoff attempt and scored on Lavey’s single to RCF. Campbell homered to RF, scoring Lavey. Louisville 10, UK 5.


Top 6th – Britton walked. Binelas reached on an infield single with both runners moving up a base on a throwing error. Lavey singled to LF, scoring Britton and moving Binelas to third. Pinkham singled to RF, scoring Binelas. Louisville 12, UK 5.


Bottom 6th – Breydon Daniel doubled to LF, advanced on a wild pitch and scored on Johnson’s groundout. Louisville 12, UK 6.


Top 7th – Snider reached on an error to lead off the inning and Fitzgerald walked. Wyatt doubled to RF, scoring Snider and advancing Fitzgerald to third. Britton hit a SAC fly to LF, Fitzgerald scored. Binelas walked. Pinkham doubled to LCF, scoring Wyatt and Binelas. Louisville 16, UK 6.


Top 8th – Cameron Masterman reached on an infield single and advanced to second on a walk. Masterman advanced to third on a fielder’s choice groundout by Wyatt and scored on a throwing error on the play. Binelas doubled to CF, scoring Wyatt. Louisville 18, UK 6.



NOTES

·The attendance of 4,919 is the largest regular season crowd in program history, besting the previous mark of 4,798 on April 3,2018 against Louisville.

oIt is the second-largest crowd ever. The largest was 5,005 in the NCAA Regional final on June 5, 2017 vs. NC State.


·Kentucky has scored in 101 consecutive games and 177 of the past 178 dating to the 2016 season. The lone shutout came in a seven-inning game. The current streak now is the third-longest in school history.


·Freshman IF Austin Schultz extended his reached base safely streak to 27 games.

oWith a stolen base the freshman is now 9-of-10 on the season.

oSchultz walked three times in the game.


·Junior IF/OF Breydon Daniel went 3-for-4 with two runs, two RBI, a double, triple and home run.

oIt was Daniel’s seventh home run of the season.

oIt was his fifth multi-RBI game of the season.

oHe logged his ninth multi-hit game of the season and tied his career-high with three hits.


·Senior OF/RHP Ryan Johnson went 2-for-4 with a run, RBI and double.

oThe hits were the first of the season for Johnson.

oIt was his eighth career multi-hit game.

 

[sluggercatfan]

JD...Mitch may want to start letting fans in for free! And I'm not joking. U6 does and they have a hell of a lot better reason to charge than UK does.

 

[Jeff Drummond]

JD...Mitch may want to start letting fans in for free! And I'm not joking. U6 does and they have a hell of a lot better reason to charge than UK does.

Pretty disappointing season. I don't even know where to begin.

 

[sluggercatfan]

Pretty disappointing season. I don't even know where to begin.

This season is what it is, but next season is what gets me . We will lose the only quality pitcher and hitters we have on the entire squad and there is nothing to make one think that next season will be better only considerably worse. I think MB may need to bite the bullet and make a decision he is not comfortable with just like what happened with the fb program. We sure aren't where we all thought we would be at this time two years ago, but this program is a disaster right now with no hope in sight.

 

[Big_Blue_1018]

This season is what it is, but next season is what gets me . We will lose the only quality pitcher and hitter we have on the entire squad and there is nothing to make one think that next season will be better only considerably worse. I think MB may need to bite the bullet and make a decision he is not comfortable with just like what happened with the fb program. We sure aren't where we all thought we would be at this time two years ago, but this program is a disaster right now with no hope in sight.

This is where I’m at. I knew coming in that this season would be a struggle due to the draft picks from last year. But this has been an absolute train wreck. Folks, most games the team isn’t even competitive. A dumpster fire doesn’t even begin to describe it. As motivational as Minge looks to be, it sure as hell isnt played out on the baseball field.

 

[law1127]

Sad,had hoped Mingione would be a success,but the results say otherwise! If the team,hitters or pitchers looked well coached or motivated,I wouldn’t be as critical. Mingione doesn’t appear to be in control,and that’s basis for firing. Sad ,very sad,need to either turn the ship ,or abandon it!

 

[SoutherninDC]

Pretty disappointing season. I don't even know where to begin.

When is the last time UofL had a “rebuilding” year? A lot would be forgiven if Coach Mangione actually produced with all those draft picks but he didn’t even make the tourney. I think it is time to send out a search party for a new leader.

 

[Big_Blue_1018]

When is the last time UofL had a “rebuilding” year? A lot would be forgiven if Coach Mangione actually produced with all those draft picks but he didn’t even make the tourney. I think it is time to send out a search party for a new leader.

The rebuild year was in 2011 when UofL finished 32-29 after coming off a regional host the year before. But more depressing info. Since McDonnell took the UofL job, they have only had one season where they didn’t win at least 40 games. And have only missed the postseason once. And let’s face it, Louisville was not a great program before he got there.

 

[Larry Skaggs]

I knew this coach was full of it when I heard him on KSR

 

[Comebakatz3]

The rebuild year was in 2011 when UofL finished 32-29 after coming off a regional host the year before. But more depressing info. Since McDonnell took the UofL job, they have only had one season where they didn’t win at least 40 games. And have only missed the postseason once. And let’s face it, Louisville was not a great program before he got there.

I will say this until I am blue in the face... hire Roger Williams.

Year in and year out, Louisville has one of the best pitching staffs in the entire country. That could be because of McDonnell, but Williams is a big huge key to that. He was very good at East Carolina before Louisville. So, pay the man whatever it takes and get him to Lexington. Put together outstanding pitching and keep us in ball games.

 

[sluggercatfan]

When is the last time UofL had a “rebuilding” year? A lot would be forgiven if Coach Mangione actually produced with all those draft picks but he didn’t even make the tourney. I think it is time to send out a search party for a new leader.

Agree and i would start 80 miles west up 64...agree with CB3.

 

[Big_Blue_1018]

Agree and i would start 80 miles west up 64...agree with CB3.

I remember when Minge was hired, Kendall Rogers said that UK went after some big names but was turned down. I often wondered who those names were.

 

[Comebakatz3]

I remember when Minge was hired, Kendall Rogers said that UK went after some big names but was turned down. I often wondered who those names were.

No idea, Would be good to know. I would think that now with the new stadium being a reality, we could do better and attract some bigger names. Obviously, the guy that is now at Miss. State would have also been good.

 

[ThreeHogNight]

No idea, Would be good to know. I would think that now with the new stadium being a reality, we could do better and attract some bigger names. Obviously, the guy that is now at Miss. State would have also been good.

Tough game last night, and I totally agree, Kentucky Fans deserve better.

I know that you know your team better than me, and that Coach Mangione knows his team better than me, but I watched the Kentucky/Arkansas series closely last season and he made what I consider some ridiculous pitching decisions in that series alone. We also lost a ton of players to the draft last season and were supposed to be in what the experts considered a "rebuilding" season for us, but so far, our very young team is holding its own.

Good luck the rest of the season, I hope that you win every one of your remaining games that are not against the Hogs!

 

[Comebakatz3]

Tough game last night, and I totally agree, Kentucky Fans deserve better.

I know that you know your team better than me, and that Coach Mangione knows his team better than me, but I watched the Kentucky/Arkansas series closely last season and he made what I consider some ridiculous pitching decisions in that series alone. We also lost a ton of players to the draft last season and were supposed to be in what the experts considered a "rebuilding" season for us, but so far, our very young team is holding its own.

Good luck the rest of the season, I hope that you win every one of your remaining games that are not against the Hogs!

Yep, we are weird. Last year we let Arky score 11 runs on our starter before we took him out in the bottom of the 5th. Of course, the Sunday game was just a disaster given that we had no one who did and could step up to be a third starter when Thompson went down to injury. We’re basically still dealing with that effect… except we’ve lost the two previous starters and are looking for two of them to pitch during the weekend.

Thanks for the well wishes.

 

[ThreeHogNight]

Yep, we are weird. Last year we let Arky score 11 runs on our starter before we took him out in the bottom of the 5th. Of course, the Sunday game was just a disaster given that we had no one who did and could step up to be a third starter when Thompson went down to injury. We’re basically still dealing with that effect… except we’ve lost the two previous starters and are looking for two of them to pitch during the weekend.

Thanks for the well wishes.

You are welcome, I didn't mean to hijack the thread, but since I have been married to a Kentucky Girl for over 30 years, Kentucky has been my second favorite team and I believe that you can, and should do better.

The SEC is absolutely brutal when it comes to College Baseball, and nobody in the conference cares about opponents injuries, recruits that are drafted and don't report, or roster turnovers, they will simply crush you at the very sign of weakness.

 

[Comebakatz3]

The SEC is extremely tough and only getting tougher and if you don’t keep up then you will be left behind. UK has been left behind for decades. We remain, to my knowledge, the only SEC team that has yet to make a CWS. So, history wise, we’re already well behind the others and allowing ourselves to slip while other teams like Tennessee and Missouri improve is harmful to us long term.

Cohen was great for us and we let ourselves slide with Henderson, and IMO we stuck with him too long. He was never going to do much better than he did. Mingione looked to have righted the ship, but the future now looks extremely bleak. Had we gone far in the NCAA tournament (or even made it) a year ago then I might be willing to give this year a bit of a pass, but we failed to make .500 in league play and due to that we didn’t make the NCAAs. Now we are firmly staring at the distinct possibility of being one of the two left out of the SEC tournament for the first time in over a decade. On top of that, I don’t see any real help in the pipeline, especially with pitching.

I really didn’t like Henderson. I thought, for an alleged pitching guru, he never really put together great bullpens. He had some amazing starters (James Paxton being the best example), but he rarely put together a great staff and we rarely had ERAs in the lower half of the SEC. That just won’t cut it, especially when you have a team 80 some odd miles away that consistently has one of the lower ERAs in the entire country, and they are your rival. For reference, this year their ERA is ranked 11th best. In year 1, I thought Belanger could be the guy to put together a great full bullpen. Instead, he has proven to be way worse than Henderson, and we're now currently ranked 101st in team ERA, and third from the bottom in the SEC.

What I hope is that our AD doesn't just hang onto Mingione because he seems him as a nice guy. We need to win, or at least be competitive.

 

[ThreeHogNight]

What I hope is that our AD doesn't just hang onto Mingione because he seems him as a nice guy. We need to win, or at least be competitive.

That is the million dollar question right there. You just opened up a new ballpark, and had some recent success. Do you fire him and roll the dice and see what you come up with, or hold onto him and see if he can turn it around?

 

[Comebakatz3]

That is the million dollar question right there. You just opened up a new ballpark, and had some recent success. Do you fire him and roll the dice and see what you come up with, or hold onto him and see if he can turn it around?

Our AD, at times, has a tendency to give coaches a long leash. To be fair, it worked with Stoops. It wasn’t going to work, and didn’t, with Henderson. I fear he will give Mingione a long leash. However, maybe with the new stadium he will want a better product more quickly.

 

[sluggercatfan]

The SEC is extremely tough and only getting tougher and if you don’t keep up then you will be left behind. UK has been left behind for decades. We remain, to my knowledge, the only SEC team that has yet to make a CWS. So, history wise, we’re already well behind the others and allowing ourselves to slip while other teams like Tennessee and Missouri improve is harmful to us long term.

Cohen was great for us and we let ourselves slide with Henderson, and IMO we stuck with him too long. He was never going to do much better than he did. Mingione looked to have righted the ship, but the future now looks extremely bleak. Had we gone far in the NCAA tournament (or even made it) a year ago then I might be willing to give this year a bit of a pass, but we failed to make .500 in league play and due to that we didn’t make the NCAAs. Now we are firmly staring at the distinct possibility of being one of the two left out of the SEC tournament for the first time in over a decade. On top of that, I don’t see any real help in the pipeline, especially with pitching.

I really didn’t like Henderson. I thought, for an alleged pitching guru, he never really put together great bullpens. He had some amazing starters (James Paxton being the best example), but he rarely put together a great staff and we rarely had ERAs in the lower half of the SEC. That just won’t cut it, especially when you have a team 80 some odd miles away that consistently has one of the lower ERAs in the entire country, and they are your rival. For reference, this year their ERA is ranked 11th best. In year 1, I thought Belanger could be the guy to put together a great full bullpen. Instead, he has proven to be way worse than Henderson, and we're now currently ranked 101st in team ERA, and third from the bottom in the SEC.

What I hope is that our AD doesn't just hang onto Mingione because he seems him as a nice guy. We need to win, or at least be competitive.

As I said earlier CB3...a house cleaning of some kind is in order ASAP

 

[Comebakatz3]

As I said earlier CB3...a house cleaning of some kind is in order ASAP

I will be pretty disappointed if we still have Belanger on our staff at the end of the year.

 

[Comebakatz3]

By the way, I am going to say it again… how/why is it that when Mingione got kicked out on Friday that Guilliams became our interim head coach? I have no problem with Guilliams, but he is a volunteer assistant. Why didn’t one of our actual paid assistants take over the head coach duties when Ming headed to the showers? Just seems strange to me.

 

[sluggercatfan]

By the way, I am going to say it again… how/why is it that when Mingione got kicked out on Friday that Guilliams became our interim head coach? I have no problem with Guilliams, but he is a volunteer assistant. Why didn’t one of our actual paid assistants take over the head coach duties when Ming headed to the showers? Just seems strange to me.

Good question..

 

[Big_Blue_1018]

That is the million dollar question right there. You just opened up a new ballpark, and had some recent success. Do you fire him and roll the dice and see what you come up with, or hold onto him and see if he can turn it around?

You know, other than Mike Anderson I’ve always been a hog fan. That being said, I sorta blame you guys for the downward spiral. Last year, UK is riding high, winning 2 of 3 against Texas Tech at home. Then the guys travel to Fayetteville and get swept and it seemed to take every bit of wind out of their sails sorta speak. And things haven’t been right since.

 

[ThreeHogNight]

You know, other than Mike Anderson I’ve always been a hog fan. That being said, I sorta blame you guys for the downward spiral. Last year, UK is riding high, winning 2 of 3 against Texas Tech at home. Then the guys travel to Fayetteville and get swept and it seemed to take every bit of wind out of their sails sorta speak. And things haven’t been right since.

Sorry about that, but I guess we can take the blame. If I remember correctly, we were smacking the ball all over the park and your coach brought in a reliever who immediately shut us down with 10 pitches or so for one inning, then in comes another reliever for the next inning. I was scratching my head over that one.

 

[bigbluegrog]

JD...Mitch may want to start letting fans in for free! And I'm not joking. U6 does and they have a hell of a lot better reason to charge than UK does.

They used to but I'm not so sure anymore. I think Jurich changed that last season because they needed more revenue. I have a friend that has season tix and I know he pays.