Grundy dominates in UK win over Elon

Kentucky got a dominant start from junior left-hander Jerad Grundy on Friday against Elon, leading the No. 8 Wildcats to a 6-1 win over Elon in the Carravelle Resort Invitational at Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Grundy (2-0) worked seven innings, allowing just three hits and two walks. The Illinois native faced only three batters over the minimum, thanks in part to a pair of nice double-play turns by his infield, lowering his season ERA to 0.69.

“Obviously Jerad’s outing was extremely encouraging,” UK coach Gary Henderson said. “Three over the minimum, a lot of ground balls, and he kept them off-balance the entire game. He got tired in the sixth and got through the sixth and then the seventh. His concentration was outstanding.”

“After a loss, the next day you come out and you really want to play on edge, especially after losing a tough one like we did yesterday,” Grundy said of UK’s 7-5 loss to Kansas State on Thursday. “For the most part, we played errorless baseball, and the five-spot in the fourth was huge. When we play like that we have a great chance to win.”

Freshman Ryne Combs relieved Grundy in the eighth and worked two scoreless innings for the Cats.

Kentucky (4-1) scored five runs in the fourth inning to break the game open and added a single run in the seventh. All-America centerfielder Austin Cousino had a pair of doubles and stole his fifth base of the season. Zac Zellers, A.J. Reed, Max Kuhn, J.T. Riddle and Paul McConkey also had hits for UK. Lucas Witt and Micheal Thomas each had sacrifice flies for the Cats.

Elon (2-3) started 2012 Cape Cod League All-Star Dylan Clark, who allowed five runs on six hits over six innings. His season record dropped to 1-1.

NOTES:

• Kuhn made his first career start as UK’s cleanup hitter.

• Riddle extended his hitting streak to eight games dating back to the end of the 2012 season.

• Cousino collected his first double of the season and the 21st of his two-year career.

• Matt Reida laid down his 17th career sacrifice bunt.