It took nine innings for the second time in three days, but seventh-seeded UK continued its record run with a 4-3 win over sixth-seeded LSU on Friday.

The win was Kentucky’s 44th of the season — adding to a school-record total — and gave the Cats three wins in the 2014 tournament after the Wildcats entered the 10-team event with one win in the championship in program history.

“I thought today was a great game,” UK head coach Rachel Lawson said. “I thought both pitchers threw great games. To be able to hold LSU’s offense down for nine innings is a really big deal, they’re a great offensive team and really playing well right now. Offensively we did a good job of putting people on base. I’d like to see us score a few more but overall I really like the fight in our team and how persistent we were, and then we ended up with the win in the end.”

Kentucky mustered just two hits Friday, but they came at the perfect times.

It was a double through the gap in left field from sophomore Sylver Samuel that was the game’s biggest hit.

LSU pitcher Baylee Corbello had retired 16 straight UK batters before she issued a two-out walk to senior Ginny Carroll. Sophomore Christian Stokes was then hit by a pitch to put two runners on with two outs for Samuel.

Samuel found a pitch she liked and sent it rolling to the left-field fence to score Darington Richardson, who was running for Carroll, and Stokes, the eventual winning run.

“I was trying to let go of a lot of things and not think too much while I was in there,” Samuel said. “Just clear my mind and make sure my timing was on, because that was the main thing that’s been getting me lately. I was trying to be slow through the box and not think as much. I think it worked out for me.”

For Lawson, it was Carroll’s two-out walk that was the turning point that sparked the two-run rally for the Wildcats.

“I always tell the team that you never know when the game-winning play is going to happen, and today we had several,” Lawson said. “Offensively, Ginny Carroll walking was the game-winning play for us because the floodgates opened up when she did that.”

In the third inning, UK’s two runs came via an error, a hit batsman, two walks and a single. The second walk, to junior Griffin Joiner with the bases loaded, brought in the game’s first run. Senior Krystal Smith then sent a single to center to plate the Wildcats’ second run.

Four runs is all the offense that Nunley needed to get her school-record sixth career postseason win.

Just like Wednesday in the first round and Thursday in the quarterfinals, Nunley was dominant with the bases empty and equally effective with runners on base.

“I just try and forget about runners,” Nunley said. “The SEC teams are good and they’re going to get on base. You just have to focus and worry about what’s in front of you. You can’t worry about what you’ve done in the past, you have to worry about the batter that’s at the plate at the time.”  

In Friday’s semifinal, she gave up just three runs on six hits. The Tigers stranded seven base runners, including three in the fourth when they scored one run and two in the sixth.

Three games, 25 innings and 404 total pitches. That’s what got the Wildcats to their first-ever championship game.

In Saturday’s final against fifth-seeded Georgia, it will take more clutch hits and another strong pitching performance to bring home the program’s first SEC Tournament trophy.