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06-02-2012, 10:27 PM
Kentucky baseball beats Valparaiso 8-1 to stay alive in NCAA playoffs
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06-03-2012, 05:40 AM
GARY, Ind. — Bouncing back from about as tough a loss on record, Kentucky stayed alive in NCAA Regional play Saturday.
The Wildcats (44-16) tied a school record for single-season victories, upending Valparaiso 8-1 at U.S. Steel Yard.
UK lost Friday’s opener to Kent State in the second-longest game in NCAA tourney history, 7-6 in 21 innings.
Saturday’s win kept second-seeded and 11th-ranked UK alive in the double-elimination tournament.
The Cats will play Sunday at 4 p.m. ET against the loser of Saturday’s late game between top-seeded Purdue and third-seeded Kent.
The Purdue-Kent winner will play the survivor of Sunday’s elimination game that night at 8. If necessary, a final game would be played Monday.
Horizon League champion and fourth-seeded Valparaiso (35-25) goes home — just 27 miles away — after making its first NCAA appearance since 1968.
Every Kentucky starter had at least one hit as the Cats outhit the Crusaders 12-7. Austin Cousino led the attack with three hits, including a double.
With a bullpen decimated by Friday’s marathon, UK needed a strong start Saturday from Jerad Grundy.
The left-hander answered the bell.
Grundy (6-3) held Valpo to one run on five hits through six innings, then turned things over to Chandler Shepherd.
Shepherd was sharp himself, throwing three innings of shutout relief.
Grundy struck out six, walked four and hit a batter.
Both teams scored a run in the fifth inning.
Paul McConkey started the scoring for UK, leading off with a single.
Matt Reida bunted him to second, and Cousino followed with a run-scoring single to right.
The Crusaders came back in the bottom of the inning with a two-out uprising of their own.
No. 9 batter Steven Scoby singled, advanced to second on Andrew Bain’s base hit and scored on Tanner Vavra’s single.
The Cats broke the game open with a five-run sixth, all the damage coming after the first two batters were retired.
Zac Zellers singled.
J.T. Riddle, in an 0-for-11 slump in Gary and 0-for-12 overall, ripped a run-scoring double down the right-field line.
McConkey walked and Reida followed with an RBI-single.
Cousino’s double high off the wall in straightaway center (400 feet) scored McConkey and Reida, and Cousino took third on a throwing error to the plate.
That knocked out Valpo starter Kevin Wild (6-4).
Side-winding right-hander Jarad Miller walked McCarthy.
With A.J. Reed at bat, McCarthy took off at less than full speed, triggering a delayed double steal.
Catcher Billy Cribbs threw to second base, so Cousino broke for the plate. Cousino slid in safely ahead of the return throw, which got away from Cribbs.
The catcher recovered in time to throw McCarthy out at third base, but the Cats' lead was up to 6-1. UK made it 7-1 with a run in the eighth.
Riddle bunted and pitcher Sean Kennedy whiffed on the ball for an error.
As McConkey struck out, Riddle stole second.
Riddle never hesitated at third and scored on Reida’s slow roller that second baseman Navra was unable to field cleanly.
McCarthy scored in the ninth, too.
He led off with a double, went to third on a groundout and scored when third baseman Elliott Martin booted Michael Williams’ hot shot.
Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2012/06/02/22098...rylink=cpy
The Wildcats (44-16) tied a school record for single-season victories, upending Valparaiso 8-1 at U.S. Steel Yard.
UK lost Friday’s opener to Kent State in the second-longest game in NCAA tourney history, 7-6 in 21 innings.
Saturday’s win kept second-seeded and 11th-ranked UK alive in the double-elimination tournament.
The Cats will play Sunday at 4 p.m. ET against the loser of Saturday’s late game between top-seeded Purdue and third-seeded Kent.
The Purdue-Kent winner will play the survivor of Sunday’s elimination game that night at 8. If necessary, a final game would be played Monday.
Horizon League champion and fourth-seeded Valparaiso (35-25) goes home — just 27 miles away — after making its first NCAA appearance since 1968.
Every Kentucky starter had at least one hit as the Cats outhit the Crusaders 12-7. Austin Cousino led the attack with three hits, including a double.
With a bullpen decimated by Friday’s marathon, UK needed a strong start Saturday from Jerad Grundy.
The left-hander answered the bell.
Grundy (6-3) held Valpo to one run on five hits through six innings, then turned things over to Chandler Shepherd.
Shepherd was sharp himself, throwing three innings of shutout relief.
Grundy struck out six, walked four and hit a batter.
Both teams scored a run in the fifth inning.
Paul McConkey started the scoring for UK, leading off with a single.
Matt Reida bunted him to second, and Cousino followed with a run-scoring single to right.
The Crusaders came back in the bottom of the inning with a two-out uprising of their own.
No. 9 batter Steven Scoby singled, advanced to second on Andrew Bain’s base hit and scored on Tanner Vavra’s single.
The Cats broke the game open with a five-run sixth, all the damage coming after the first two batters were retired.
Zac Zellers singled.
J.T. Riddle, in an 0-for-11 slump in Gary and 0-for-12 overall, ripped a run-scoring double down the right-field line.
McConkey walked and Reida followed with an RBI-single.
Cousino’s double high off the wall in straightaway center (400 feet) scored McConkey and Reida, and Cousino took third on a throwing error to the plate.
That knocked out Valpo starter Kevin Wild (6-4).
Side-winding right-hander Jarad Miller walked McCarthy.
With A.J. Reed at bat, McCarthy took off at less than full speed, triggering a delayed double steal.
Catcher Billy Cribbs threw to second base, so Cousino broke for the plate. Cousino slid in safely ahead of the return throw, which got away from Cribbs.
The catcher recovered in time to throw McCarthy out at third base, but the Cats' lead was up to 6-1. UK made it 7-1 with a run in the eighth.
Riddle bunted and pitcher Sean Kennedy whiffed on the ball for an error.
As McConkey struck out, Riddle stole second.
Riddle never hesitated at third and scored on Reida’s slow roller that second baseman Navra was unable to field cleanly.
McCarthy scored in the ninth, too.
He led off with a double, went to third on a groundout and scored when third baseman Elliott Martin booted Michael Williams’ hot shot.
Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2012/06/02/22098...rylink=cpy
06-03-2012, 05:44 AM
06-03-2012, 05:44 AM
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06-03-2012, 05:46 AM
06-03-2012, 01:41 PM
Stardust Wrote:[Image: http://cmsimg.courier-journal.com/apps/p...h=465&q=60]
Is that Chandler Shepherd????
06-03-2012, 08:10 PM
Can the cats end up getting out of this?
We need three wins before we can advance.
We need three wins before we can advance.
06-03-2012, 10:11 PM
Kentucky eliminated Purdue 6-3 today
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