LEXINGTON, Ky. – Luke Becker came off the bench to hit two home runs, including a grand slam, and Riley Mahan went 5-for-5 to power Kentucky to a 12-5 victory over LSU in the opener of a three-game Southeastern Conference baseball series Friday.
The Tigers (26-13 overall, 9-7 SEC) and Wildcats (27-12, 11-5) will play the second game of the series at 6:05 p.m. CT/7:05 p.m. ET. That game was originally scheduled for Saturday night, but a forecast of rain tomorrow prompted Kentucky officials to petition the SEC office for permission to play a doubleheader today.
Kentucky’s 12 runs and 16 hits are both opponent highs vs. LSU this season. The Tigers gave up 11 runs and 14 hits to the University of New Orleans February 21.
Becker entered the game to lead off the fifth in place of starting designated hitter Kole Cottam and drove a Todd Peterson pitch onto the deck overlook the right center field fence, extending the Wildcats’ lead to 5-2.
In the seventh, Becker drove a Russell Reynolds offering over the center field fence just to the right of the 390-foot marker. Reynolds gave up a single to Marcus Carson to start the inning, and walked Tristan Pompey and Zach Reks to load the bases.
Mahan’s first hit of the day was an RBI single in the first which scored Reks to make it 2-0. The first run of the inning was set up by Evan White’s one-out double, followed by a single by Reks and a ground ball by Cottam to score White.
Greg Deichmann led off the LSU second with a double. He scored on a double by Nick Coomes, and Josh Smith followed with a single to center to plate Coomes and tie the score.
Deichmann hit his team leading 13th home run in the ninth.
The 2-2 tie held until the third, which began on a bunt single by White. The Kentucky first baseman pushed the ball to his LSU counterpart, Coomes, who had no play.
Following a walk to Cottam with one out, Mahan doubled home White to put the Wildcats on top to stay. Two batters later, Tyler Marshall bounced a single past Jared Poche and into center field, scoring Mahan and Cottam.
Poche’ (6-3) yielded five runs on seven hits in three innings.
Trailing 6-2 entering the seventh, LSU scored on Cole Freeman’s double and loaded the bases, but Cole Machamer, the fourth Kentucky pitcher of the inning, induced a double play ground ball by Jordan Romero, ending the Tigers’ last chance to get back into the game.