Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
Kentucky
Baseball Falls To Kentucky, 2-0
3/31/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 31, 2009
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Senior Brandon Casamassima legged out a double in the seventh inning, but Kentucky's two runs in the bottom of the first were enough to lift the Wildcats to a 2-0 victory over the Thundering Herd in Tuesday night's non-conference baseball game at Cliff Hagan Stadium.
With the loss, Marshall slips to 11-15 overall, while Kentucky improves to 17-9 on the season.
Mike Kaczmarek earned the victory and moves to 1-1 on the season. Kaczmarek pitched the first five innings and allowed just one hit, while striking out five batters.
Sophomore right-hander Shane Farrell suffered the loss for the Herd and falls to 0-5 on the season. After giving up two runs on one hit in the first, Farrell settled down, holding the Wildcats scoreless through the sixth inning while scattering just four more hits.
Kentucky wasted no time getting started as Chris Wade struck out but reached on a wild pitch and then stole second before Chris McClendon earned a one out free pass to start the bottom of the first. Two batters later, Gunner Glad laced a two-out two-run single to right centerfield, giving the Wildcats a 2-0 lead. Marshall got out of the early jam when sophomore catcher Kevin Shackelford gunned out Glad at second, throwing to senior second baseman Adam Yeager to prevent the stolen base.
Marshall responded in the top of the second when sophomore first baseman Victor Gomez singled to right field and then advanced to second on a fielding error. A groundout moved Gomez to third with one out before he was thrown out at home trying to score on a fly out to left field, giving the Wildcats an inning-ending double play.
The Wildcats went back to work in the home half of the third frame when Wade drilled a frozen rope double down the left field line. An infield fielding error gave Kentucky runners on the corners. Farrell tossed a strikeout and induced an infield pop out, before a wild pitch allowed McClendon to scamper to second. From there, a second pop out got the Herd out of the inning without any damage, keeping the score at 2-0.
Kentucky placed runners on the corners again in the bottom of the fourth frame thanks to a pair of Marshall miscues, but a pop up bunt attempt and a strikeout by Farrell ended the threat.
After the Wildcats placed a runner on with two outs in the bottom of the fifth, Spencer Korus reached on an infield error but could not take advantage as sophomore right fielder Ben Jurevicius fired a seed to junior third baseman Josh Valle to get the runner out at third, allowing Marshall to get out of the stanza unscathed.
The Herd put together a rally in the top of the sixth frame when sophomore shortstop Kenny Socorro drew a one-out walk and then advanced to second on a two-out bunt single by Jurevicius. Senior centerfielder Nate Lape then earned a walk to load the bases before a groundout cut the rally short, keeping Marshall off the board.
In the Kentucky sixth, Chad Wright smacked a two-out double to dead centerfield but was thrown out at third on a perfectly executed relay by Lape who threw to Socorro who fired to Valle to complete the play.
Marshall loaded the bases in the top of the seventh frame when Casamassima drove a one-out double to right field and pinch-hitter Rhett Stafford drew a two-out walk before Socorro drilled a mammoth foul ball that went just foul. Socorro earned a walk to pack the bags but a groundout to the right side of the infield stranded the runners, preserving the 2-0 Kentucky lead.
Both teams were held scoreless over the next two innings as neither team could move a runner past second base.
Marshall was held to just three hits for the game, while the Herd limited the Wildcats to just seven hits.
Marshall continues its seven-game road swing, Wednesday, April 1 when it travels to Columbus, Ohio to take on No. 18 Ohio State. First-pitch is slated for 2:05 p.m. ET.
