Kentucky Baseball Drops Series to Auburn

The Kentucky Wildcats (26-17, 10-10) blew an early five-run lead yesterday at Auburn (20-23, 7-13) 10-6. With the loss, Kentucky dropped yet another series to an SEC cellar dweller and thus the team’s free fall in conference play continues.

The day started with promise in the top of the 1st inning when Evan White’s continued to work magic with his bat by recording a single. Two batters later, Kentucky had runners on the corner thanks to a throwing error. JaVon Shelby broke out of his recent slump with an RBI double that brought White home and advanced Gunnar McNeill to third base. McNeill then scored on a fielder’s choice thanks to a Dorian Hairston groundout. Riley Mahan’s single brought Shelby home to give UK a 3-0 lead after the 1st.

The very next inning, Zack Reks extended UK’s lead to 5-0 when he homered, with Storm Wilson on base, to right field.

A walk and a pair of singles in the bottom of the 2nd inning brought Auburn’s Anfernee Grier to the plate. Grier continued his hot hitting in the series and cracked a two-RBI triple that cut Kentucky’s lead to 5-3.

Jackson Burgreen’s two-run shot the next inning tied the game at 5 all.

The Bat Cat’s could not break the tie in the next three innings and the, in the bottom of the 6th, Auburn’s Kyler Deese gave the Tigers the lead with an RBI sacrifice fly.

Shelby answered in the top of the 7th with another RBI double to notch the score at 6.

Burgreen broke the tie in Auburn’s favor when he scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the 8th with the bases loaded. Cody Nulph, with his only hit of the game, drove in two more runs with a single, and then who else but Grier, put an exclamation point on the Tigers’ big inning with an RBI single.

Kentucky’s starting pitcher Dustin Beggs struggled in seven innings of worked. He gave up 6 earned runs and seven hits to go with four walks. Beggs, however, did strike out four Auburn batters.

Notable Kentucky performances at the plate were Evan Whites’ 2-of-5 day, Javon Shelby’s 3-of-5, two RBI outing and Zack Reks’ 3-of-5, two RBI and one home run masterpiece.