LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Murray State's clutch hitting proved to trump Kentucky's power in a wild one on Tuesday.
The Racers scored their first 11 runs with two outs en route to a 13-8 win over the Wildcats at Kentucky Proud Park. Seven of those came in the decisive sixth inning which saw seven straight batters reach base after UK had retired the first two men who came to the plate.
Brock Anderson loomed large in both of Murray State's big innings. He hit a two-out, two-run homer in the third inning and blasted a two-out, two-run homer in the sixth, giving him eight on the young season. The Racers' right-fielder went 3-for-5 with five RBI and also made a sliding catch in right field to rob UK of a pair of runs as part of his memorable day.
Murray State (8-8) broke a seven-game losing streak to the Cats.
Kentucky (11-3) fell in its final tuneup before opening SEC play this weekend against Missouri at KPP.
The Cats lost despite hitting five home runs, including two by senior first baseman T.J. Collett. One of the NCAA's active career home run leaders, he has hit five in UK's last four games and has 32 for his career.
It wasn't enough, however, as the Kentucky bullpen suffered its first collectively shaky outing of the season. Starter Ryan Hagenow was lifted after laboring through 2.1 innings with 48 pitches thrown. A two-out error by shortstop Ryan Ritter opened the door for four unearned runs, including the first homer by Anderson, to give the Racers a 4-0 lead.
The Cats responded with a three-run homer by Oraj Anu in the bottom of the third and eventually took a 5-4 lead on a back-to-back homers by Collett and Trae Harmon in the fifth.
Murray countered with its big sixth, however, against UK relievers Cole Daniels (0-2) and Jimmy Ramsey. Daniels gave way to Ramsey after loading the bases with two outs, but the latter could not slam the door on the Racers' rally. The duo was tagged for seven earned runs on six hits and two walks in only 1.2 innings of work.
Kentucky had a glimmer of hope in the seventh as John Rhodes and Collett hit back-to-back homers to make it 11-8, but that was the closest the Cats would get.
The Racers' Alex Crump put it out of reach in the ninth with a two-run homer off Dillon Marsh coming after UK's second error of the day.
Jake Jones (2-0) earned the win for Murray, pitching 2.2 innings of relief, which included the decisive sixth.