Trey Pooser went seven innings to get Friday’s win. (UK Athletics Photo)
Trey Pooser dealt aces for the third consecutive Friday night and a trio of Wildcats came up with clutch hits as No. 12 Kentucky defeated No. 11 Alabama 6-2 for its 13th victory in the past 14 games.
Kentucky is off to a 9-1 start for the second straight season. No Southeastern Conference team has accomplished that feat in the past 32 seasons. Additionally, UK (25-4, 9-1) now is 7-0 against ranked teams and the current five-game winning streak in league play ties the longest of the coach Nick Mingione era.
Pooser was sensational yet again in his third start as the Cats’ Friday night guy. He sprayed six hits around in seven innings, allowing two runs to an offense that entered the game averaging nine runs a game and ranked top 10 nationally in hitting. He struck out three and 63 of his 93 pitches were strikes. In his three SEC starts, he’s allowed 15 hits and six earned runs in 18 2/3 innings while striking out 15.
Travis Smith entered in the eighth and slammed the door with two shutout innings of work.
Offensively, Mitchell Daly reached base three times and had a big two-out hit to give UK an early lead and then watched as Devin Burkes and Nolan McCarthy delivered the two biggest blows. Burkes jumped on a first pitch hanging slider for a two-out, bases loaded, two-run single in the fifth.
McCarthy unloaded on a 1-2 pitch for a 405-foot two-run homer an inning later. McCarthy now has three home runs in as many games.
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Game two in the series at Kentucky Proud Park is today at 2 and will be streamed on the SEC Network, with radio coverage available on 630-AM WLAP (Lexington) and UKAthletics.com.
