No. 13 Alabama Baseball Suffers First Shutout of Season to No. 17 Kentucky

The No. 13 Alabama Crimson Tide (22-9, 4-7) baseball team was shut out by the No. 17 Kentucky Wildcats (26-4, 10-1) 7-0 on Saturday afternoon at Kentucky Proud Park.

Kentucky’s Ryan Waldschmidt helped the Wildcats to an early three-run lead as he accounted for the team’s first run of the afternoon in the bottom of the first inning, scoring on a sacrifice fly, and hit a two-run home run in the third.

The Wildcats plated four runs in the sixth inning on an RBI single by Nolan McCarthy, an RBI double by James McCoy, and a two-run home run by Grant Smith.

As a whole, the Crimson Tide offense went 3-of-29 at the plate (.103) and struck out seven times. Ian Petrutz recorded two of Alabama’s three hits, a single in the fourth and a double in the seventh, while Mason Swinney hit the other, a single in the fifth. The only extra-base runner Alabama had was Gage Miller in the first, who was hit by a pitch in the first plate appearance of the game, but was thrown out in a double play the following at-bat.

Left-handed pitcher Greg Farone made his eighth start and ninth appearance for the Crimson Tide. In his five-inning outing, he allowed three hits, three runs (all earned), walked five batters, and struck out six. Pierce George, Aidan Moza, and Jansen Kenty made appearances out of the bullpen.

With the loss, the Crimson Tide suffered its second series loss and first shutout of the year as well as fell to 0-5 in SEC road games this year.