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.