FB Recruiting Cats rally for 4 in 9th to beat NKU

[Jeff Drummond]

Four-run rally in 9th lifts Cats over NKU

Jeff Drummond • CatsIllustrated.com
@JDrumUK

Dalton Reed's RBI single gives UK its first walk-off win at Kentucky Proud Park. Mason Hazelwood shines with 11 strikeouts.

Kentucky's Marshall Gei stole second base during Wednesday's game against NKU.
Jeff Drummond/Cats Illustrated

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- For most of Wednesday's game at Kentucky Proud Park, it appeared wasted opportunities would come back to haunt the Wildcats.

Kentucky had gone 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position and trailed Northern Kentucky 4-1 entering the ninth inning.

The Cats had one last surge left in them, however, scoring four runs in their final trip to the plate to record their first walk-off win, 5-4, at their new home.

Senior catcher Marshall Gei got the rally started with his third hit of the day, a leadoff single, and one out later Zeke Lewis followed suit with a single of his own. From there, Breydon Daniel, TJ Collett and Dalton Reed each came up with RBI hits to send UK home a winner.

In addition to Gei's strong day at the plate, the Cats also got two hits from Jaren Shelby, Daniel and Reed.

Kentucky (5-3) got a stellar starting effort from sophomore left-hander Mason Hazelwood, who allowed only one hit and struck out 11 Norse batters over six innings of work. Alex Degen (1-0) picked up the win with two innings of scoreless relief.

Cameron Ross (0-2) took the loss for Northern Kentucky, allowing two runs without recording an out in the final inning.

The Norse, who had taken the lead with a four-run inning of their own in the top of the seventh, dropped to 0-7 on the season.

Kentucky returns to action on Friday at 1 p.m. ET against Canisius.

 

[DaphneCat]

Two nights, two epic saves by the cats to far inferior teams. I’ll have it

 

[Jeff Drummond]

SCORING

Bottom 1st – Ryan Shinn walked, moved to second on T.J. Collett’s groundout and to third on a wild pitch. Jaren Shelby singled to LF, scoring Shinn. UK 1, NKU 0.



Top 7th – Andrew Bacon doubled to RCF to open the inning and moved to third on a wild pitch. Will Hauter walked. Griffin Doersching singled to LF, scoring Bacon. NKU 4, UK 1.



Bottom 9th – Marshall Gei and Zeke Lewis singled. Elliott Curtis pinch ran for Gei. Breydon Daniel singled to RF, scoring Curtis and moving Lewis to third. Grant Macciocchi pinch ran for Daniel. Shinn walked to load the bases. Collett singled through the left side, scoring Lewis and Macciocchi. Dalton Reed singled up the middle, scoring Shinn with the game-winning run. UK 5, NKU 4.





NOTES

· Kentucky has scored in 72 consecutive games and 148 of the past 149 dating to the 2016 season. The lone shutout came in a seven-inning game. The current streak is the eighth-longest in school history.
· The walk-off win was the first of the 2019 season.
o It is the first walk-off win since a 5-4 win over No. 9 Auburn on Mar. 23, 2018. The winning run in that game scored on a wild pitch.
o It is the first walk-off hit since Dorian Hairston hit a solo home run in the 12th inning to defeat No. 2 South Carolina on May 8, 2016.
· Sophomore LHP Mason Hazelwood pitched 6.0 innings, giving up one hit, no runs, and striking out 11.
o Hazelwood retired the first 16 batters he faced.
o Only one hitter reached base in his six innings of work.
o He is the first UK pitcher to strike out at least 10 hitters in a game since Justin Lewis fanned 10 against Missouri on April 29, 2018.
· Junior 1B Dalton Reed went 2-for-5 with an RBI.
o Reed had the game-winning, walk-off hit for the Cats, his first at UK.
o Reed had this third multi-hit game of the season.
· Senior C Marshall Gei went 3-for-4 in the game.
o It was Gei’s first multi-hit game of his career.
o He opened the ninth inning rally with a single.
· Junior OF Jaren Shelby went 2-for-5 with a double, RBI, walk and stolen base.
o It was his fifth multi-hit effort in eight games.
o He stole his sixth base in two days and is 7-of-7 on the season.
· Freshman RHP Alex Degen pitched 2.0 innings, giving up one walk and striking out two.
o Degen picked up his first collegiate win.


ON DECK

The Cats returns to Kentucky Proud Park on Friday to open a three-game weekend series with Canisius. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET and will be aired on SEC Network Plus. Audio coverage can be found via UKathletics.com.