Texas A&M overcame an early three-run deficit to down Kentucky, 5-3, in game one of the SEC series Friday night at Kentucky Proud Park.
Junior shortstop Braden Shewmake singled up the middle to bring home junior second baseman Bryce Blaum from third base to give the Aggies (19-5, 3-1 SEC) their first lead of the night at 4-3 in a decisive seventh inning.
Shewmake finished the game 3-for-5 with 3 RBI, belting a 2-run homer that carried over the right field fence in the fifth inning to knot the game at 3.
Two batters later, Ty Coleman singled through the right side of the infield to bring home Shewmake as the freshman third baseman added insurance.
The right-handed trio of Bryce Miller, Joseph Menefee and Kasey Kalich tossed a combined 4.0 scoreless innings to hold the Wildcats at bay. Kentucky managed to get only four runners on against A&M’s strong relief pitching as Kalich picked up his sixth save of the season.
Ryan Shinn hit a pair of opposite field home runs during his first two at-bats of the game to give Kentucky an early 3-0 lead in the third inning.
A&M starter John Doxakis was relatively solid despite allowing the two homers to Shinn, but failed to earn the victory for the third straight Friday. The junior lefty threw 5.0 innings, allowing three runs on seven hits. He struck out five batters while walking just one.
In the top of the fourth, A&M began its rally as junior first baseman Hunter Coleman laced an RBI-double into left field bringing home junior right fielder Logan Foster, who had missed the last three games due to a strained quad.
A&M and Kentucky will begin game two tomorrow at 1 p.m. and the game will be streamed online at SEC Network Plus.