Gilliam, Waldschmidt Each Drive in Four, No. 18 Kentucky Pastes Missouri 12-2 in Series Opener
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Mother Nature called for a doozy on Friday night, so Kentucky knew it had to come out swinging.
Behind a lively contingent of Big Blue Nation at Kentucky Proud Park, the No. 18 Bat Cats ambushed Missouri starter Austin Troesser for five runs in the bottom of the first inning, jolting towards a 12-2 run-rule win to open the three-game series against the Tigers.
Left fielder Ryan Waldschmidt demolished a fastball in a 3-1 count, elevating it way over the wall in left-center field for a gargantuan three-run home run that traveled 457 feet, capping off the inning. The third homer of the season for the Charleston Southern transfer came directly after Hunter Gilliam notched two of his four RBIs in the victory, as the first baseman flung a single into left field, handing UK a 2-1 lead.
"I went up there having a good mindset because I saw a lot of pitches before I got in there, I got in an advantage count, I was looking for a fastball and, you know, I wasn't late for that one," Waldschmidt said of the mammoth homer with a smile. "Honestly I didn't even feel it I hit it so good."
Gilliam went on to lift a high, windswept homer in the fifth inning, a two-run job that gives the Longwood transfer 39 RBIs on the season — a top-10 mark in Division I. He also extended his hitting streak to 19 games.
"The hit streak is what it is. I just care about winning, I could care less if I get no hits or 10 hits, as long as we wins that's all that matters to me," Gilliam said.
Kentucky (23-3, 6-1 SEC) then added three runs in the six and and two in the seventh, capping things off with a laced two-run double off the bat of third baseman Jase Felker. Gilliam and Waldschmidt each drove in four, while Felker and second baseman Émilien Pitre both had a pair of RBIs. Catcher Devin Burkes had a pair of singles and reached base three times.
"Waldy's an animal," Gilliam said of his teammate. "It's so cool to play beside him, I know he's behind me in the lineup. All I got to do is get on base and he can leave the yard whenever he wants."
A total of 11 hits and eight walks helped UK starter Darren Williams earn his second win of the season in his third start, though it wasn't a normal outing for the trusty right-hander.
The seventh-year senior threw 100 pitches across five innings, allowing two earned runs on two hits, two walks and four hit batsmen. He struck out five but failed to find the control he's had his entire career. He had hit just four batters in 56 previous innings as a Wildcat entering Friday's start.
The unusual command issues sprung up in the top of the first. Williams struck out the first batter he saw, but then hit Ty Wilmsmeyer, allowed a seeing-eye single to designated hitter Dalton Bargo and walked Trevor Austin to load the bases.
In a 2-2 count, Williams plunked his second batter, hitting slugging first baseman Hank Zeisler with an off-speed pitch, bringing an early run home for the Tigers. The Maysville, Ky. native shook off the cobwebs and worked a popout and fly out to leave the bases loaded and limit the damage to just the one run, throwing 26 pitches in the process.
"I just tell Darren we need a grown-man pitch," Gilliam said. "I'm always in his ear over there telling him to pitch like a grown man, cause that's what he is. He's a grown man playing against boys."
Lucky for UK, it was prepared to launch its offensive onslaught in the bottom half of the inning, sending Williams back out to the mound in the second with both a lead and peace of mind. Troesser (2-2, 4.71 ERA) hadn't given up more than two earned runs in any of his previous seven outings.
"We've done that, we're gonna continue to have to do that," UK coach Nick Mingione said of his team responding. "This has been a resilient group and i'm proud we keep answering back."
Williams (2-0, 2.58) worked a 1-2-3 second and third frame, settling in as the weather appeared gloomier by the pitch. Mizzou (19-7, 3-4) turned to right-hander Kyle Potthoff for some early relief work, eating some much-needed innings for the Tigers pitching staff. He allowed two earned runs on five hits across 3.2 IP.
Gilliam's homer in the fifth was his sixth of the season. He has still reached base in all 25 games he's played this season. The next inning saw Pitre serve a two-run single to left field, extending UK's lead to 9-2 before Waldschmidt sent a sacrifice fly to center field.
Felker's send-off double cemented his improvement and spot as the starting 3B, as the Princeton, Ky. native is now slashing .343/.484/.400.
"He's just slowly gotten better," Mingione said of Felker. "He's really settled in good, I thought he had really good at-bats ... I thought our at-bats were phenomenal tonight."
In relief of Williams, right-hander Austin Strickland fired two scoreless innings, allowing just a pair of singles, holding down the fort while the bats did the rest of the work, sending Kentucky to its 19th win in its last 20 games.
"I thought Strickland was awesome," Mingione said. "He was on the attack and he was good tonight and that was big for us.
Kentucky now needs just one win in its final two against the Tigers to claim its third SEC series in as many weekends. Veteran lefty Tyler Bosma will take the hill on Saturday, facing off against Mizzou RHP Chandler Murphy, who owns a 3-1 record as a starter.
First pitch for game two is set for 2 p.m. EST and will air on SEC Network+.
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