Cats have one hit, but McKay has faced the minimum, courtesy of a double play. So he'll face 7-8-9 this inning.
Tyler Marshall fans.
Marcus Carson with a dribbler that is going to go foul, no it's not, it stays fair and no play as he has an infield single.
Heady up and he's behind 0-2. Heady works a pitcher as well as anyone, but not much you can do down 0-2. McKay is throwing better to right-handed hitters than left-handed hitters, it seems to me. Takes a pitch high. Curve in the dirt, shouldn't have swung, but he did, and there's another strikeout.
Pompey up, and we need an extra base hit here. Ball one. Pitch down, excellent change and Pompey fishes for it and swings four times around before the ball gets there, and it's 1-1. Fouled off, and he's i....well, you know. I might start Carson here with the top of the lineup up. McKay thinking the same, throws over twice now. There goes Carson--did Pompey strike out? Not sure, but Carson is thrown out. Started the slide a tad too early, but I don't think it mattered.
The turf field has cost UK twice so far. The grounder up the middle that neither a diving Heady nor a diving Mahan could knock down earlier would have been catchable on a grass field, and then it cost Carson the stolen base as the turf grabbed at him on the slide that would have been different on dirt.
Hate the turf, and UK is gonna have it at the new field
Good start to the 4th inning as Hjelle gets his 2nd strikeout.
Hairston up, and he bangs his 2nd base hit of the game. Hairston is Dorian Hairston's brother, former Kentucky baseball player. Gotta be a little mixed feelings there, although Dorian surely is rooting for brother.
Hjelle with some throws to 1st, and White really makes a nice snap tag on runners. It looks so smooth that on something close, we'll get a pickoff.
1-2 on the next batter. Grounder to White as he moves toward 2nd, waits a tick for Heady to get there, steps toward the interior of the infield so he has a clear throw, and gets the force out. That was a really nice play, underrated.
Two down, and the 8th batter for Louisville at the plate. Bounces up the middle, Mahan with a nice snag just short of behind 2nd, races to bag ahead of the runner, and Cards are out.
Grounder to White as he moves toward 2nd, waits a tick for Heady to get there, steps toward the interior of the infield so he has a clear throw, and gets the force out. That was a really nice play, underrated.
Mangione just said the plan is to get McKay out and believes he will go in 6th or 7th inning.
Earlier he exits, the happier I'll be, even though Louisville has an excellent bullpen. But Cats will have to get some more batters making plate appearances against him, not just work the count, or else he'll get farther. 98 pitches would be double that, through 6 innings, which means he'd go at least one more inning and get Louisville to the 8th. So we have to do better. But if Louisville wants to stop his 100+ pitch streak, I'm ok with that.
Hjelle had a nice inning last inning, and is at 60 pitches through 4 innings now. Hopefully will give us at least 7. If he's strong and healthy and not tired, maybe 8?
McKay with 58 pitches (42 strikes, 16 balls).
Hjelle with 60 pitches (37 strikes, 23 balls).
Of course, it's just a 1-run game. That's one swing of the bat. Cats get a player on, single, error, walk, HBP, whatever, and then one big swing and it's a different game.
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