Junior left-hander Zack Thompson pitched a two-hit shutout with a career-high 13 strikeouts to lead Kentucky to a 5-0 win over fourth-ranked Georgia Friday.
The Wildcats (16-11, 1-7 SEC) managed to score four of their five runs without the benefit of a hit as the Bulldogs dropped to 22-5 overall and 6-2 in the SEC. Thompson, a projected first round draft pick this year, looked every bit the part, allowing just a single to Connor Tate and a bunt-single to Shane Marshall. He walked four and threw a career-high 124 pitches in going the distance.
The first two Wildcats reached in the second inning and a wild pitch moved them into scoring position. Then, sophomore left-hander C.J. Smith (2-1) came back to strike out Dalton Reed, and Kentucky attempted a squeeze bunt with Rook Elington. However, he popped it back to Smith who caught it and fired to third baseman Aaron Schunk to extinguish the threat. In the third, the Wildcats took a 1-0 lead on a one-out run-scoring single by Austin Schultz. In the fourth, Kentucky scored three runs without a hit after three walks, three passed balls and a wild pitch to extend its lead to 4-0. They added one more run in the sixth for the final.
Georgia’s best chance to score came in the sixth as it loaded the bases with nobody out. Marshall led off with a bunt single and Tucker Maxwell and Cam Shepherd drew walks. Then, Riley King lined a ball to third baseman Breydon Daniel who speared it and stepped on the bag for a double play. Henderson came back to get Schunk to hit into a fielder’s choice to preserve the shutout.
Freshman Cole Wilcox came on for Smith in the fourth and went 2.2 innings with three walks and three strikeouts. He allowed a pair of runs (only one earned) on one hit. Junior Logan Moody provided two scoreless innings of relief with two strikeouts.
The series concludes Saturday with first pitch moved up to 10 a.m. due to the possibility of bad weather. The game is slated to be streamed on SEC Network+ and the Georgia Bulldog Sports Network.
Dawg Tracks
- Redshirt freshman Connor Tate extended his hitting streak to a career-best four games with a single in the second inning.
- Freshman right-hander Cole Wilcox pitched 2.2 innings of relief after sophomore C.J. Smith was lifted in the fourth.
- Junior right-hander Logan Moody pitched two scoreless innings with a pair of strikeouts.
- For the second straight game sophomore Riley King started in left field while redshirt freshman Connor Tate started in right field.
Coach’s Corner
- Ike Cousins Head Baseball Coach Scott Stricklin
On the game
“Zack Thompson was really good. He’s going to be a