RECAP: Hjelle, Cottam lead Cats to win in opener against No. 3 Texas Tech
Kentucky junior right-hander Sean Hjelle delivers a pitch in Friday's game at Cliff Hagan Stadium.
Jeff Drummond/Cats Illustrated
Jeff Drummond • CatsIllustrated.com
@JDrumUK
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Falling behind by three runs in the first inning against the No. 3 team in the nation would have spelled doom for many baseball clubs.
For Kentucky, it was a minor inconvenience.
The No. 6 Wildcats overcame the rocky start on Friday against Texas Tech, fighting back for a 10-7 win over the Red Raiders in the first of a three-game weekend series at Cliff Hagan Stadium.
"I was really, really proud of our team from this standpoint," UK coach Nick Mingione said. "(Texas Tech) is a really good baseball team... For them to score a big inning in the first inning, our team did not flinch. I complimented them. There was no panic whatsoever."
Kentucky's junior All-American pitcher, Sean Hjelle, best represented that mindset. After giving up a three spot in the first inning, the 6-foot-11 right-hander dominated the next six innings.
Hjelle (4-0) allowed only two earned runs on five hits and a walk while striking out six.
"He was not fazed one bit," Mingione said, "and that just goes to show you the maturity of him... The one thing I know about Sean, he's been down before, and the second our team comes back and ties it up or whatever, he takes his game to even another level. He did that again tonight."
"They're a Top 5 team. They're going to put up runs. You have to accept that coming in," Hjelle said of the Red Raiders. "... But I knew that I've got the best team in the country behind me, and they were going to put up runs, too."
The potent UK offense did not disappoint. The Cats (13-2) put up double-figure runs for the eighth time this season. They have scored 109 runs in their lat 10 games.
Junior catcher/first baseman Kole Cottam led the onslaught with two of the biggest hits of the night: a two-run homer in the second inning off Texas Tech starter Davis Martin (3-1), who entered the game with a 0.60 ERA; and a two-run double in the fifth to give the Cats a 6-3 lead.
"I thought that home run really lifted our team," Mingione said.
Cottam tied his career high with four RBI.
Kentucky also got two hits and three runs scored from senior second baseman Luke Becker as well as an RBI double from Tristan Pompey.
Texas Tech (14-1) made it interesting in the ninth inning, scoring three runs against the UK bullpen, but Chris Machamer slammed the door on the rally by striking out Brian Klein representing the tying run with a pair of runners on base. It was the Cats' first save of the season.
Game 2 of the series is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET on Saturday at Cliff Hagan Stadium.
Kentucky junior right-hander Sean Hjelle delivers a pitch in Friday's game at Cliff Hagan Stadium.
Jeff Drummond/Cats Illustrated
Jeff Drummond • CatsIllustrated.com
@JDrumUK
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Falling behind by three runs in the first inning against the No. 3 team in the nation would have spelled doom for many baseball clubs.
For Kentucky, it was a minor inconvenience.
The No. 6 Wildcats overcame the rocky start on Friday against Texas Tech, fighting back for a 10-7 win over the Red Raiders in the first of a three-game weekend series at Cliff Hagan Stadium.
"I was really, really proud of our team from this standpoint," UK coach Nick Mingione said. "(Texas Tech) is a really good baseball team... For them to score a big inning in the first inning, our team did not flinch. I complimented them. There was no panic whatsoever."
Kentucky's junior All-American pitcher, Sean Hjelle, best represented that mindset. After giving up a three spot in the first inning, the 6-foot-11 right-hander dominated the next six innings.
Hjelle (4-0) allowed only two earned runs on five hits and a walk while striking out six.
"He was not fazed one bit," Mingione said, "and that just goes to show you the maturity of him... The one thing I know about Sean, he's been down before, and the second our team comes back and ties it up or whatever, he takes his game to even another level. He did that again tonight."
"They're a Top 5 team. They're going to put up runs. You have to accept that coming in," Hjelle said of the Red Raiders. "... But I knew that I've got the best team in the country behind me, and they were going to put up runs, too."
The potent UK offense did not disappoint. The Cats (13-2) put up double-figure runs for the eighth time this season. They have scored 109 runs in their lat 10 games.
Junior catcher/first baseman Kole Cottam led the onslaught with two of the biggest hits of the night: a two-run homer in the second inning off Texas Tech starter Davis Martin (3-1), who entered the game with a 0.60 ERA; and a two-run double in the fifth to give the Cats a 6-3 lead.
"I thought that home run really lifted our team," Mingione said.
Cottam tied his career high with four RBI.
Kentucky also got two hits and three runs scored from senior second baseman Luke Becker as well as an RBI double from Tristan Pompey.
Texas Tech (14-1) made it interesting in the ninth inning, scoring three runs against the UK bullpen, but Chris Machamer slammed the door on the rally by striking out Brian Klein representing the tying run with a pair of runners on base. It was the Cats' first save of the season.
Game 2 of the series is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET on Saturday at Cliff Hagan Stadium.
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