LEXINGTON, Ky. – Chris Cervantes fired six shutout innings of relief and Cole Warrenfeltz drove in the go-ahead run in the sixth as the Eastern Kentucky University baseball team beat 28th ranked University of Kentucky, 5-4, on Tuesday at Cliff Hagan Stadium.
It’s Eastern’s second win over a ranked team this season, having beat No. 13 Mississippi State 16-12 in 10 innings on March 15. The Colonels are also 2-1 against Southeastern Conference teams in 2016.
Cervantes (1-2) came on in relief to begin the fourth and held the Wildcats (27-18) hitless for the next five innings. He came back out to pitch in the ninth and allowed a one-out hit before retiring the next two batters to end the game. In six innings he struck out five and walked just one.
The Colonels (21-25) erased a 4-0 deficit in the fifth and sixth innings. After Matt Olive and Logan Starnes led off the fifth inning with a single and a double, Kenny Hostrander got Eastern on the board with an RBI single to center. Starnes scored on a Kentucky error to make it a 4-2 game. A sacrifice fly by Mandy Alvarez got the Colonels within a run.
Ben Fisher began the sixth inning with a double to left center. He moved to third on a wild pitch and then scored the game-tying run on another wild pitch. With runners at second and third later in the inning, a ground ball by Warrenfeltz was good enough to allow Alex Holderbach to score the go-ahead run.
Fisher finished 2-for-4 with a run scored. Alvarez had two hits in four at bats and drove in a run.
Kentucky built its 4-0 lead on the back of JaVon Shelby’s two-run home run in the third inning. Shelby would finish 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs.
The Colonels take to the road to face Ohio Valley Conference foe Jacksonville State this weekend. Friday’s series opener is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.