FB Recruiting RECAP: Cats pound out 17 hits, 3 HRs in romp over Oakland

[Jeff Drummond]

RECAP: Kentucky collects 17 hits in Game 2 romp over Oakland

Kentucky's Ben Aklinski had three hits in the Wildcats' win over Oakland on Saturday at Cliff Hagan Stadium.
Jeff Drummond/Cats Illustrated

Jeff Drummond • CatsIllustrated.com
@JDrumUK

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Ben Aklinski and Kole Cottam each had three hits Saturday as part of a 17-hit offensive showing by Kentucky in a 17-6 win over Oakland.

The No. 8 Wildcats (6-1) also bashed three home runs in Game 2 of a weekend series at Cliff Hagan Stadium. T.J. Collett mashed his club-leading fourth homer of the young season and drove in five runs on the day, while Cottam and Luke Heyer each added a long ball.

Collett pushed his team-leading RBI total to 14. Cottam had four RBI on the day, pushing his total to nine on the season.

In addition to Aklinski and Collett, five other players also had multi-hit games for UK: Luke Becker, Ryan Shinn, Trey Dawson, Collett and Heyer.

The massive run support made it easy for UK starter Zack Thompson. The sophomore left-hander picked up his first win of the season, allowing four runs on five hits and a pair of walks over six innings of work.

Oakland (1-6) also hit three home runs -- one apiece by Ryan Fitzgerald, Ben Hart and Jordan Jackson -- but it was not enough to compensate for the Grizzlies' shaky pitching. Starter Nick Parr (0-1) surrendered nine runs on 10 hits in only four innings on the mound.

The series is scheduled to conclude on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.

 

[Jeff Drummond]

SCORING

Bottom 2nd – Kole Cottam singled to RF and advanced to second when the ball squirted away from the fielder. Ryan Shinn singled up the middle to score Cottam. UK 1, Oakland 0.


Top 3rd – Ryan Fitzgerald homered to RF. UK 1, Oakland 1.


Bottom 3rd – Trey Dawson singled to LF. Troy Squires grounded into a fielder’s choice with Dawson reaching second when the second baseman failed to step on the base. Ben Aklinski moved both runners up with a SAC bunt and Luke Becker drove in Dawson with a SAC fly to LF. T.J. Collett homered to RF, scoring Squires. UK 4, Oakland 1.


Top 4th – Jordan Jackson homered to LF. UK 4, Oakland 2.


Bottom 4th – Ryan Johnson reached on a fielding error. Luke Heyer singled to LF with both runners taking an extra base on an error. Dawson singled to SS, scoring Johnson. Squires laid down a SAC bunt, scoring Heyer and moving Dawson to second. Aklinski lined a single up the middle to score Dawson. Becker doubled to RF. Collett singled to RF, scoring Aklinski and Becker. UK 9, Oakland 2.


Bottom 5th – Luke Heyer homered to RF. UK 10, Oakland 2.


Top 6th – Fitzgerald walked and scored on Ben Hart’s home run to CF. UK 10, Oakland 4.


Bottom 6th – Aklinski and Becker singled. Cottam grounded out to 2B, scoring Aklinski. UK 11, Oakland 4.


Bottom 7th – Shinn singled and Dawson walked. Squires doubled to LF, scoring Shinn and Dawson. Aklinski singled and Becker walked to load the bases. Collett grounded out, scoring Squires. Cottam homered to LF, scoring Aklinski and Becker. UK 17, Oakland 4.


Top 8th – Thomas Miller singled and scored on Hart’s double. Mario Camilletti singled to CF, scoring Hart. UK 17, Oakland 6.




NOTES

·Kentucky moved to 22-2 in non-conference home games under coach Nick Mingione.

·The Cats are 23-0 when scoring 10 or more runs under Mingione.

·The offense has hit a home run in all seven games this season.

·UK played without All-American OF Tristan Pompey for the second straight game. He is out with an ankle injury.


·Sophomore C/1B T.J. Collett went 2-for-5 with a run and five RBI.

oCollett’s fourth home run of the year gives him five extra-base hits among his nine total hits.

oFor his career, Collett now counts six of his 11 career hits as extra-base hits, including five home runs.

oCollett has homered in three straight games, the first player to do that since Kole Cottam did so against LSU and Xavier last April 21-26.

oCollett now has 14 RBI on the season in just seven games.

oThe five RBI are a career-high for Collett.


·Senior C/1B Troy Squires went 1-for-4 with a double, two runs scored and three RBI.

oSquires has six RBI in the first two games of the series.

oSquires now has 22 career sacrifice bunts, moving him into eighth place alone on the UK charts. He sits just one behind Jeff Michael (1990-93) and Michael Bertram (2003-06) for seventh.


·Junior C/1B Kole Cottam went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and four RBI.

oCottam tied his career high of four RBI, first set against Miss. State on 4/8/17.


·Junior SS Trey Dawson went 2-for-2 with three runs scored, two walks and an RBI.

oDawson has reached base safely nine consecutive times.

oIn three games this week he has reached base safely 11 out of 12 times he has come to the plate.

 

[Black Diamond Cat]

SCORING

Bottom 2nd – Kole Cottam singled to RF and advanced to second when the ball squirted away from the fielder. Ryan Shinn singled up the middle to score Cottam. UK 1, Oakland 0.


Top 3rd – Ryan Fitzgerald homered to RF. UK 1, Oakland 1.


Bottom 3rd – Trey Dawson singled to LF. Troy Squires grounded into a fielder’s choice with Dawson reaching second when the second baseman failed to step on the base. Ben Aklinski moved both runners up with a SAC bunt and Luke Becker drove in Dawson with a SAC fly to LF. T.J. Collett homered to RF, scoring Squires. UK 4, Oakland 1.


Top 4th – Jordan Jackson homered to LF. UK 4, Oakland 2.
Good game report, hopefully they can get game 3 in tomorrow.

Bottom 4th – Ryan Johnson reached on a fielding error. Luke Heyer singled to LF with both runners taking an extra base on an error. Dawson singled to SS, scoring Johnson. Squires laid down a SAC bunt, scoring Heyer and moving Dawson to second. Aklinski lined a single up the middle to score Dawson. Becker doubled to RF. Collett singled to RF, scoring Aklinski and Becker. UK 9, Oakland 2.


Bottom 5th – Luke Heyer homered to RF. UK 10, Oakland 2.


Top 6th – Fitzgerald walked and scored on Ben Hart’s home run to CF. UK 10, Oakland 4.


Bottom 6th – Aklinski and Becker singled. Cottam grounded out to 2B, scoring Aklinski. UK 11, Oakland 4.


Bottom 7th – Shinn singled and Dawson walked. Squires doubled to LF, scoring Shinn and Dawson. Aklinski singled and Becker walked to load the bases. Collett grounded out, scoring Squires. Cottam homered to LF, scoring Aklinski and Becker. UK 17, Oakland 4.


Top 8th – Thomas Miller singled and scored on Hart’s double. Mario Camilletti singled to CF, scoring Hart. UK 17, Oakland 6.




NOTES

·Kentucky moved to 22-2 in non-conference home games under coach Nick Mingione.

·The Cats are 23-0 when scoring 10 or more runs under Mingione.

·The offense has hit a home run in all seven games this season.

·UK played without All-American OF Tristan Pompey for the second straight game. He is out with an ankle injury.


·Sophomore C/1B T.J. Collett went 2-for-5 with a run and five RBI.

oCollett’s fourth home run of the year gives him five extra-base hits among his nine total hits.

oFor his career, Collett now counts six of his 11 career hits as extra-base hits, including five home runs.

oCollett has homered in three straight games, the first player to do that since Kole Cottam did so against LSU and Xavier last April 21-26.

oCollett now has 14 RBI on the season in just seven games.

oThe five RBI are a career-high for Collett.


·Senior C/1B Troy Squires went 1-for-4 with a double, two runs scored and three RBI.

oSquires has six RBI in the first two games of the series.

oSquires now has 22 career sacrifice bunts, moving him into eighth place alone on the UK charts. He sits just one behind Jeff Michael (1990-93) and Michael Bertram (2003-06) for seventh.


·Junior C/1B Kole Cottam went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and four RBI.

oCottam tied his career high of four RBI, first set against Miss. State on 4/8/17.


·Junior SS Trey Dawson went 2-for-2 with three runs scored, two walks and an RBI.

oDawson has reached base safely nine consecutive times.

oIn three games this week he has reached base safely 11 out of 12 times he has come to the plate.

 

[Old_Red]

3 double plays today. Nice to see that go up from a total of 1.

 

[Black Diamond Cat]

Pretty solid play all the way around today !