Cats Trampled by The Herd

In another disappointing lose, the UK Wildcats lost to Marshall 6-4.  Once again, junior Braden Kapteyn steps up to lead to be the star of the offense with sophomore start Taylor Rodgers showing a strong start
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In his six innings Rodgers allowed only two runs with seven strikeouts and no home runs or walks against him.  Rodgers’s performance came as no surprise.  In his college debut against West Virginia, he posted 7.2 innings of shutout pitching with only six hits and a single walk.  He also ran up 35 consecutive innings without a walk and pitched a total of 83 innings.  Rodgers was voted the 7^th best new-comer in the SEC.  He could see himself in the position of the Sunday starting pitcher if Alex Meyer is faced with walks like he has been in the past.  He was replaced in the 6^th inning by newcomer Trevor Gott who showed a weak start and was given the loss.  In his two innings, Gott allowed four hits on three runs which put the Herd ahead of the Cats.

A huge offensive disappoint is senior shortstop Taylor Black.  With the holes in UK’s batting, Black was expected to rise to take place of the power hitting duo of Marcus Nidiffer and Gunner Glad.  Last year, Black exploded mid-season after being benched for a game and earned 11 home runs, boosting his average from .128 to a .290.  In eight at bats this season, Black hasn’t hit a thing.  If this team wants a chance at beating LSU and South Carolina again, Black will have to start slugging again.  Maybe another night on the bench will do him some good.

Sophomore Luke Maile had another good night as the DH for UK.  He recorded two hits, two RBIs and a run for himself.  Sharing catching duties with Michael Williams could prove useful to him, especially late in the season when most everyday catchers are worn out.  That is if Williams can avoid another four strikeouts in one night.

However, among the disappointments is the rising star Braden Kapteyn.  He is starting to become an all-around force for the Cats.  Used as a DH and relief pitcher last year, Kapteyn  had a record of 7-0 and six saves on the mound paired with six home runs and a .294 average.  Kapteyn saw a summer of late inning relief pitching for the Harwich Mariners and named a Cape Cod League All-Star.  UK will be lucky if he stays for his senior year.

UK is already starting to improve on their season which can give hope to the fans.  If one or two of the newcomers or returners can master the power hitting with the new bats and the pitchers can throw more strikes, UK could see themselves in the SEC tournament.

UK will face Miami (OH) tomorrow at 11 AM.

Cats fall to No. 20 College of Charleston

In the season opener, the UK wildcats fell to the No. 20 College of Charleston Cougars.  Charleston’s batters scored 11 runs with 14 hits versus UK’s 6 runs and 5 hits.

The first inning started well for the Cats.  Both senior Neiko Johnson and senior Taylor Black were hit by pitch and took an easy base.  Junior Chad Wright reached base on fielder’s choice.  With a runner in scoring position, junior Braden Kapteyn hit and allowed for a double play.  Sophomore starter Jordan Cooper allowed two hits and one run but left three men on base.

Kapteyn turned things around for the Cats with the first home run in the season, scoring three runs with one hit in the top of the third inning and bringing the score to 3-1.  His home run was matched by back to back Cougar home runs; one earning three runs which brought the score to 4-3.

Freshman Corey Littrell came in to pitch for Cooper during the bottom of the fourth.  Littrell allowed only two hits in the 4^th and 5^th before allowing Charleston five runs with five hits in the 6th.  Senior sidewinder Nick Kennedy stepped in and allowed one run and two hits.  Sophomore Walter Wijus closed for the Wildcats and only gave up two hits with no runs.

While the pitching was struggling, the batting was trying to hit a steady stride.  In the 6^th, the Cats recorded two runs from sophomore Luke Maile and Kapteyn on junior Michael Williams’s double.  The only other run for the Cats came from freshmen Lucas Witt in the 8^th when he was able to reach on fielder’s choice.

With the major holes  in the offense from graduation and the MLB draft, the new and returning Bat-Cats have to step it up if they want to make it anywhere in the always tough SEC.   Out of ten batters, only four batters recorded a hit.  While the new bats may be to blame for part of this, it is no full excuse.  The pitchers will also have to step up their game and get better control of the ball to prevent walks and wild pitches.  Cooper tripled his number of walks from last year in two innings.  It makes me wonder…Will UK really have a year of the pitchers?  Or will they have a heartbreaking season?

Tomorrow the Cats face Marshall at 5 PM.  The game can be listened to and followed through UK's website.