3/19/2021 baseball Edit

Cats open SEC play with blowout of Mizzou

Kentucky starter Cole Stupp had the best outing of his UK career on Friday in the SEC opener against Missouri. (UK Athletics photo by Barry Westerman) (UK Athletics)

Jeff Drummond • CatsIllustrated

Managing Editor

Joined the Cats Illustrated staff in the summer of 2017. Veteran reporter and photographer who has covered UK sports dating back to 1987.

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- The Kentucky Wildcats looked like a team that had been waiting almost two years to prove itself in SEC play on Friday night.

Playing their first league game since the 2019 season, thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic that completely wiped out last year's conference slate, UK was impressive in a 10-2 win over Missouri at Kentucky Proud Park.

Cole Stupp (3-0) dominated his first Friday night start for the Cats, holding Missouri to just one unearned run over seven innings. The sophomore right-hander allowed just five hits, walked only two batters, and struck out a career-high 10 while lowering his season ERA to 1.14.

He was supported by a 12-hit attack from the UK lineup, which jumped on Missouri starter Spencer Miles (1-3) for three runs in the first inning and four more in the second.

Five different players had multiple hits for the Cats, led by senior catcher Coltyn Kessler with a 3-for-3 night with a pair of walks. Austin Schultz, Oraj Anu, T.J. Collett, and Trae Harmon each added two hits for Kentucky (12-3, 1-0 SEC), which also drew nine walks and forced Missouri's staff to throw nearly 200 pitches on the night.

Anu, Collett, Harmon, and Chase Estep each drove in a pair of runs for the Cats.

Missouri (7-11, 0-1 SEC) failed to dent the plate until the eighth inning. The Tigers pushed one across in the eighth and scored another in the ninth but never truly threatened during the course of the game.

The three-game series resumes on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET.