COLUMBIA, Mo. – No. 10 Kentucky tallied four runs in the sixth inning to earn a 6-1 win in the rubber game of a three-game series with Mizzou Baseball on Easter Sunday (April 16) at Taylor Stadium. The game moved into the sixth inning at 2-1, but UK used a pair of infield singles, two hit batters and a walk to plate four runs in what turned out to be the decisive inning. Mizzou falls to 26-11 on the year and 7-8 in SEC play while Kentucky goes to 25-12 and 10-5 in SEC play, sitting atop the SEC East standings.
Junior RHP Bryce Montes De Oca (Lawrence, Kan.) took the loss, falling to 3-2 on the year, after going 5.0+ innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on four hits with three walks and four strikeouts. Kentucky’s Justin Lewis earned the win, improving to 5-2 on the year. He went 5.0 innings and allowed just three hits and one run (earned) with no walks and four strikeouts.
Junior C Brett Bond (St. Louis, Mo.) hit his seventh homer of the season and fourth of the series, a solo shot in the fourth inning. Junior OF Trey Harris (Powder Springs, Ga.) also reached base twice to continue a red-hot weekend.
Montes De Oca allowed a leadoff single to Tristan Pompey to open the game, but struck out All-American 1B Evan White and got a 4-6-3 double play to escape the inning on just eight pitches. Mizzou got a baserunner in the first as Trey Harris (Powder Springs, Ga.) was hit by a pitch, but he was stranded.
Montes De Oca needed just 10 pitches to retire the side in the second but ran into trouble in the third, issuing a leadoff walk. A passed ball moved the runner to third, but Alex Samples (Bridgeport, Texas) made a great play on a hard-hit ball at third for the second out to save a run. Montes De Oca then struck out the red hot Tristan Pompey to strand the runner.
White then tallied a leadoff double in the fourth inning and Montes De Oca then walked Zach Reks and hit Luke Becker to lead the bases with no outs. Riley Mahan then hit a sacrifice fly to give the Cats a 1-0 lead. A throwing error by C Brett Bond (St. Louis, Mo.) on a double steal led to another run in the fourth as Kentucky took a 2-0 lead.
Bond atoned for his error in the bottom of the fourth inning, launching his fourth homer of the series and seventh of the season, a two-out solo shot on a 3-1 pitch to cut the lead in half at 2-1. Mizzou got the tying run on second in the fifth inning, but Connor Brumfield (Columbia, Mo.) popped out to strand the tying run.
UK then got a walk and a pair of infield hits to score a run, extending the lead to 3-1. Mizzou reliever Cole Bartlett (Williamsburg, Ind.) then hit back-to-back batters, the latter with the bases loaded to score another run. Marcus Carson then hit a two-run single to extend the lead to 6-1.
— Mizzou Athletics —