Rough sixth inning costs Cats game, series against Ball State

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Published Mar 7, 2021

Rough sixth inning costs Cats game, series against Ball State

Jeff Drummond • CatsIllustrated

Managing Editor

@JDrumUK

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- With the start of SEC play looming in two weeks, Kentucky got a wake-up call from the Ball State Cardinals this weekend.

The visitors from the MAC used a four-run sixth inning on Sunday to rally from behind and beat the Wildcats 4-3 at Kentucky Proud Park, taking two out of three games from UK in the weekend series.

Kentucky (7-2) appeared to be cruising to victory when the disastrous sixth inning struck. Starter Zack Lee, who had dominated the first five frames, gave up a lead-off double to Noah Navarro on an 0-2 pitch. After retiring the next batter, he hit Ball State's Ross Messina in the head with a pitch.

That scary moment seemed to have an impact on Lee, who gave up a single to the Cardinals' Trenton Quartermaine to load the bases and hit another batter, Chase Sebby, with a pitch to force in a run.

With the game tied 1-1, Cole Daniels came out of the UK bullpen in hopes of working out of the bases-loaded jam. He walked the only batter he faced, Nick Powell, giving Ball State a 2-1 lead.

Jimmy Ramsey entered from the UK bullpen but was greeted with a two-run single by Ryan Peltier that proved to be the game-winner.

Kentucky got a run in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI single by T.J. Collett and one in the bottom of the eighth on back-to-back doubles by Coltyn Kessler and Austin Schultz, but the Wildcats could not string together enough hits to reclaim the lead.

Ball State starter Lukas Jaksich (2-0) claimed the win, working five innings and allowing just one run in the first inning. He allowed four hits, struck out three, and walked one. John Baker claimed his first save of the season, pitching the final four innings for the Cardinals.

Lee (1-1) was charged with four earned runs on five hits over 5.1 innings of work. He struck out eight and did not walk a batter but was hurt by a pair of hit batsmen, both of which produced runs for Ball State (6-4).

Kentucky's lineup managed only seven hits and two walks against the Cardinals. No Wildcat had more than one hit on the day. Reuben Church had an RBI single for the Cats in the first inning.