Cats take doubleheader from No. 10 Ole Miss
Jeff Drummond • CatsIllustrated.com
@JDrumUK
Kentucky got terrific pitching performances on Sunday in a doubleheader sweep of the Rebels. The Wildcats won their first SEC series of the season by claiming 4-1, 4-2 wins in Oxford.
Kentucky junior left-hander Zack Thompson.
Jeff Drummond/Cats Illustrated
Kentucky claimed its first SEC series of the season by sweeping a doubleheader from No. 10 Ole Miss on Sunday in Oxford, Miss.
The Wildcats dropped the first game of the series on Friday night, but after rain postponed Saturday's second game, they bounced back to win two seven-inning games, 4-1 and 4-2, on Sunday.
Pitching was the key to both victories.
Mason Hazelwood (2-2) pitched 5.2 shutout innings in the opener, holding the Rebels to only five hits. The sophomore left-hander from Mercer County struck out three and walked only one. Carson Coleman nailed down the win by working the last 1.1 innings to earn his third save of the season.
The Cats supported their two hurlers with nine hits, including doubles by Jaren Shelby and Zeke Lewis, and a home run by T.J. Collett.
Collett would factor into both games mightily, crushing a three-run homer in the second game to power UK. The Cats made the most of only five hits, with Collett, a junior designated hitter, collecting two of them.
That's all junior All-American Zack Thompson (3-0) and a pair of relievers would need to get the job done. Thompson, another lefty, threw 111 pitches over six innings, holding Ole Miss to just two runs on five hits and five walks. The Indiana native, who is projected to be a top MLB draft pick in June, struck out eight.
Cole Daniels and Daniel Harper worked one inning of shutout relief, the latter escaping a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the bottom of the seventh to earn his first save of the season.
Ole Miss dropped to 25-12 overall and 9-4 in SEC play.
Kentucky (20-16, 4-11 SEC) closed out an eight-game road trip. The Cats return to Kentucky Proud Park on Tuesday to face the rival Louisville Cardinals in the second game of the annual home-and-home series. The Cards won the first matchup 8-3 on April 2 in Louisville. First pitch is slated for 6:30 p.m. ET.
Jeff Drummond • CatsIllustrated.com
@JDrumUK
Kentucky got terrific pitching performances on Sunday in a doubleheader sweep of the Rebels. The Wildcats won their first SEC series of the season by claiming 4-1, 4-2 wins in Oxford.
Kentucky junior left-hander Zack Thompson.
Jeff Drummond/Cats Illustrated
Kentucky claimed its first SEC series of the season by sweeping a doubleheader from No. 10 Ole Miss on Sunday in Oxford, Miss.
The Wildcats dropped the first game of the series on Friday night, but after rain postponed Saturday's second game, they bounced back to win two seven-inning games, 4-1 and 4-2, on Sunday.
Pitching was the key to both victories.
Mason Hazelwood (2-2) pitched 5.2 shutout innings in the opener, holding the Rebels to only five hits. The sophomore left-hander from Mercer County struck out three and walked only one. Carson Coleman nailed down the win by working the last 1.1 innings to earn his third save of the season.
The Cats supported their two hurlers with nine hits, including doubles by Jaren Shelby and Zeke Lewis, and a home run by T.J. Collett.
Collett would factor into both games mightily, crushing a three-run homer in the second game to power UK. The Cats made the most of only five hits, with Collett, a junior designated hitter, collecting two of them.
That's all junior All-American Zack Thompson (3-0) and a pair of relievers would need to get the job done. Thompson, another lefty, threw 111 pitches over six innings, holding Ole Miss to just two runs on five hits and five walks. The Indiana native, who is projected to be a top MLB draft pick in June, struck out eight.
Cole Daniels and Daniel Harper worked one inning of shutout relief, the latter escaping a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the bottom of the seventh to earn his first save of the season.
Ole Miss dropped to 25-12 overall and 9-4 in SEC play.
Kentucky (20-16, 4-11 SEC) closed out an eight-game road trip. The Cats return to Kentucky Proud Park on Tuesday to face the rival Louisville Cardinals in the second game of the annual home-and-home series. The Cards won the first matchup 8-3 on April 2 in Louisville. First pitch is slated for 6:30 p.m. ET.
