Florida Gators
Kentucky
Kentucky Takes Opener at No. 6 Florida, 3-0
Saturday, April 25, 2015 | Baseball
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Kentucky sophomore Zack Brown, junior Zack Strecker, senior Spencer Jack and sophomore Logan Salow combined on a five-hitter as the Wildcats (24-16/9-9 SEC) claimed the series opener over No. 6 Florida (32-11/12-7 SEC), 3-0, on Friday night at McKethan Stadium.
Former Gator head coach Joe Arnold (1984-94) was recognized in a pregame ceremony for being named as a member of the 2015 College Baseball Hall of Fame Class.
Brown (4-4) threw seven shutout innings, raising his scoreless streak to 15.1 innings, and Salow collected his second save by retiring the Gators' final batter with runners aboard at first and second base.
Kentucky used a leadoff triple by sophomore JaVon Shelby and an RBI grounder by junior Dorian Hairston (1-for-4, two RBI) to take a 1-0 lead in the second inning against Florida sophomore Logan Shore (6-3).
The Wildcats extended their lead to 2-0 in the third with three straight two-out singles, the last by junior Ka'ai Tom into left field that brought home junior Kyle Barrett. Shore had set down the first two batters before Barrett and freshman Evan White (2-for-4) each singled through the right side to set the table for Tom.
UK's bid for another run in the fourth inning was cut down when junior left fielder Harrison Bader threw out sophomore Marcus Carson trying to score from second base on a two-out single by sophomore Connor Heady.
Kentucky added an insurance run on a two-out RBI single in the eighth by Hairston off of junior Taylor Lewis that brought home White. White had singled up the middle with one down before sophomore Kirby Snead struck out Tom. Lewis took over and a wild pitch moved White into scoring position before Shelby earned a free pass. Hairston delivered a base-hit up the middle gave the visitors a three-run advantage.
The Gators were limited to five hits, including a pair of singles by sophomore Ryan Larson (2-for-3).
Postgame Quotes
Head Coach Kevin O'Sullivan
On Kentucky right-hander Zack Brown (7.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R):
“He had a firm fastball, as he was up to 96 (mph). He competed and made pitches when he needed to. He pitched really well. We had very few opportunities, but when we did, we just didn't have great at-bats. We had runners on first and second with nobody out in the third, but we just didn't do much with the opportunities that we had. Credit their starter because he did a really good job. He was pretty good tonight. He threw his breaking ball for strikes and wasn't behind the count. It was a firm fastball and he deserves a lot of credit because he pitched well enough to beat us. I don't think it's an easy thing to do to shut us out at home. He just pitched really well tonight.”
Sophomore RHP Logan Shore
On the change in momentum from the last SEC series to now:
"I knew Kentucky was going to play us hard. They've always played us hard. Last year we were 2-3 against them. We went to their place, and they can hit the ball a little bit. They definitely make you work. Credit their pitcher (Zack Brown) -- he made some pitches when he needed to, and he was consistent throughout the night and kept our guys off balance. I expected a close game, but we just didn't get it done at the plate tonight."
Postgame Notes:
- Florida was shut out for the first time all season and had not been held scoreless since May 25, 2014, a 2-0 setback to LSU in the SEC Tournament Final.
- The Gators' six-game SEC winning streak came to an end and UF fell to 3-4 in the opener of conference series this year.
- Logan Shore struck out the side in the first inning and finished with seven strikeouts, three runs and zero walks over 7.1 innings.
- Richie Martin boosted his hitting streak to 12 games with a first-inning double. His career-long skein is 17 games.
- The Gators put their first two runners aboard in the third inning on back-to-back singles by Ryan Larson and Dalton Guthrie but were kept at bay.
- Harrison Bader recorded his team-leading (among UF's outfielders) sixth assist in tonight's game.
- Kirby Snead followed Shore (7.1 IP, 9 H, 2 R) and struck out the lone batter he faced before Taylor Lewis (0.1 IP, 1 H) and Shaun Anderson (1.0 IP, 1 H) completed the game on the mound for the Gators.
Up Next
The Gators and Wildcats will meet again tomorrow at 7 p.m. The game can be heard on the Gator IMG Sports Network with Jeff Cardozo and Mick Hubert and will be simulcast on SEC Network+ through WatchESPN.
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