RECAP: Kentucky wins battle of aces to take Game 1 vs. Missouri
Kentucky's Sean Hjelle picked up his sixth win of the season.
Jeff Drummond/Cats Illustrated
Jeff Drummond • CatsIllustrated.com
@JDrumUK
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- In a marquee matchup of SEC aces, Kentucky's Sean Hjelle outdueled Missouri's TJ Sikkema in the Wildcats' 2-1 win over the Tigers to open a three-game weekend series at Cliff Hagan Stadium.
Hjelle (6-3) pitched eight innings, allowing a lone unearned run on six hits and a pair of walks. The junior right-hander, last year's SEC Pitcher of the Year, recorded eight strikeouts.
Sikkema (3-4), a sophomore left-hander who entered the game with a 2.64 ERA, was nearly as good as the Cats' top hurler. He made only one mistake on the night, a pitch that UK's Luke Heyer drove out of the park for a two-run homer in the fifth inning that proved to be the game-winner.
It marked the team-leading 15th home run of the season for Heyer, a senior outfielder/third baseman in the running for SEC Player of the Year honors.
Chris Machamer worked around a two-out double in the ninth inning to record the save for Kentucky (28-14, 9-10 SEC).
Missouri (28-14, 8-11 SEC) took a 1-0 lead in the first inning, thanks in part to a throwing error by Hjelle on a pick-off attempt, but was blanked the rest of the way.
The series resumes on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET.
Kentucky's Sean Hjelle picked up his sixth win of the season.
Jeff Drummond/Cats Illustrated
Jeff Drummond • CatsIllustrated.com
@JDrumUK
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- In a marquee matchup of SEC aces, Kentucky's Sean Hjelle outdueled Missouri's TJ Sikkema in the Wildcats' 2-1 win over the Tigers to open a three-game weekend series at Cliff Hagan Stadium.
Hjelle (6-3) pitched eight innings, allowing a lone unearned run on six hits and a pair of walks. The junior right-hander, last year's SEC Pitcher of the Year, recorded eight strikeouts.
Sikkema (3-4), a sophomore left-hander who entered the game with a 2.64 ERA, was nearly as good as the Cats' top hurler. He made only one mistake on the night, a pitch that UK's Luke Heyer drove out of the park for a two-run homer in the fifth inning that proved to be the game-winner.
It marked the team-leading 15th home run of the season for Heyer, a senior outfielder/third baseman in the running for SEC Player of the Year honors.
Chris Machamer worked around a two-out double in the ninth inning to record the save for Kentucky (28-14, 9-10 SEC).
Missouri (28-14, 8-11 SEC) took a 1-0 lead in the first inning, thanks in part to a throwing error by Hjelle on a pick-off attempt, but was blanked the rest of the way.
The series resumes on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET.
