Sweet 16: No. 23 Kentucky Thrashes EKU for Ninth Straight Victory

RICHMOND, Ky. – Shaun Montoya blasted a grand slam and both Tyler Bell and Cole Hage hit solo shots as No. 23 Kentucky scored its fourth run rule victory in 11 games, defeating Eastern Kentucky 16-0 on the road.

It also is the third shutout for the Wildcats, who moved to 10-1 on the season with their ninth consecutive win.

Heavy winds from an approaching storm system pounded the ballpark, blowing in from the right field foul pole toward the left field pole but did not seem to affect the Cats’ pitchers. They yielded just one first-inning hit until and infield swinging bunt with two outs in the seventh and final inning and walked just one against 12 strikeouts. The performance lowered numbers that already had the Cats’ staff ranked second nationally in earned run average, WHIP and fewest hits allowed per nine innings.

Meanwhile, UK’s offense took a five-run lead through four innings before unleashing a nine-run fifth that included all three home runs. Both Montoya and Patrick Herrera drove in four runs in the onslaught and Dylan Koontz doubled, tripled and scored four runs.

NOTES

• Kentucky is 10-1 on the season and has won nine straight games.
• UK has 96 wins since the beginning of the 2023 season (96-38).
• UK was hit by four pitches and now has been hit 11 times in the last two games.
• UK now has five “true” road wins in 11 games.
• UK has outscored its opponents 104-21 on the season.
  • UK has done so 31-3 its past three games.
• In 11 games, UK has four run rule victories and three shutouts.
• It is the first time UK hit back-to-back home runs since Ryan Waldschmidt and Emilien Pitre did so on May 17, 2024 vs. Vanderbilt.
• UK Coach Nick Mingione is in his ninth season at the helm and now owns a 272-167 career record.
  • Mingione now is the second-winningest coach in school history.
  • UK is 105-37 in the month of March under Coach Mingione.
  • Mingione is 161-46 in non-conference games overall and 141-20 vs. non-Power Four opponents.
  • Mingione now is 9-1 vs. EKU.
• Freshman RHP Nate Harris threw 4.0 one-hit innings, striking out five.
• Relievers Hayden Smith (IP, 3 K), Tristan Hunter (IP, 2 K) and Tommy Skelding (IP, 2 K) combined to strike out seven of the 10 batters they faced.
• Junior INF Luke Lawrence went 2-for-4 with a run, three RBI, a HBP and double.
• Senior OF Shaun Montoya went 1-for-5 with a grand slam.
  • It was UK’s third grand slam in 11 games this season.
• Senior OF Cole Hage went 2-for-4 with two runs, an RBI, a ground rule double and solo home run.
• Freshman INF Tyler Bell hit his second career home run.
• Sophomore INF Ethan Hindle scored three runs.
• Senior INF Dylan Koontz went 2-for-2 with four runs, an RBI, a walk, a HBP, a double and triple.
  • He has been hit by four pitches in his past two games.
• Senior INF Patrick Herrera went 2-for-3 with a run, four RBI, a walk and a double.

 ON DECK

Kentucky hosts EKU in the second leg of a midweek home-and-home on Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET. It will be streamed on SECN+ and radio will be carried by the UK Sports Network.