COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Kentucky battered Texas A&M’s starting pitching for the third consecutive day and won a series against the Aggies in College Station for the second time in three trips, earning a 10-5 victory on Sunday afternoon.
The game concluded after eight innings due to the Southeastern Conference’s getaway day travel curfew where no new inning could begin after 4:30 p.m. CT (local time). UK upped its record to 17-9 overall and 4-5 in the league.
Ben Cleaver continued to be rock solid on the mound, delivering 5.2 innings of three-hit baseball. He allowed a pair of first inning runs and nothing after that. He was the only starter from either team in the three-game series to record an out in the sixth inning.
The offense also took flight in the warm Texas air. The Cats scored 31 runs in three games and continued to put together terrific at bats and timely hitting. Freshman Tyler Bell had eight hits in the series, including three doubles and a home run, to go with seven RBI.
The Cats return home to face a ranked Ole Miss club on Thursday.
NOTES
- Kentucky is 17-9 (4-5 SEC) on the season.
- UK is 3-3 in SEC road games.
- It is the first first SEC road series victory since Florida last May.
- UK was hit by four pitches.
- UK has been hit by a pitch 57 times in the last 17 games.
- UK has scored 17 total runs in the first inning of its nine conference games and at least one run in each of its six road games.
- UK Coach Nick Mingione is in his ninth season at the helm and now owns a 280-173 career record.
- Mingione is the second-winningest coach in school history.
- UK is 112-44 in the month of March under Coach Mingione.
- Mingione now is 7-9 vs. Texas A&M.
- Mingione has won two of three career series at Texas A&M.
- Freshman IF Tyler Bell went 2-for-4 with two run, an RBI ans double.
- He extended his reached base streak to all 26 career games.
- He went 8-for-13 in the series with three doubles, a home run, 4 runs, 7 RBI and an HBP.
- RS Freshman IF Hudson Brown went 2-for-3 with two runs, two RBI, a SAC and home run.
- The home run was the first of his career.
- Junior IF Luke Lawrence went 2-for-4, two runs, three RBI and a SAC.
- Sophomore LHP Ben Cleaver pitched 5.2 innings, allowing two runs on three hits, walking two and striking out seven.
- He threw a career-high 105 pitches.
- He did not allow a run after the first inning.
- He was the only of a combined six starting pitchers to record an out in the sixth inning and also the only starter not to allow six or more runs.
- He allowed only one hit after the first inning.
ON DECK
The Cats do not play a midweek game before hosting Ole Miss in a Thursday-Saturday series at Kentucky Proud. Thursday will air on the SEC Network and radio will be carried by the UK Sports Network.
