“Never Out of a Game” Kentucky Rallies to Win Series

Hudson Brown raced around the bases pumping his fist toward the 3,178 fans at Kentucky Proud Park, crossed home plate, tossed his helmet and was greeted at the dugout to a hero’s welcome.

One of No. 21 Kentucky’s emotional leaders had just delivered a clutch three-run home run on a screaming liner to provide enough cushion for the Wildcats to weather a ninth-inning rally and hold on to a series-clinching 8-7 victory over Alabama.

“This team is never out of a game,” Brown later said.

The Cats needed all of that resolve and belief on a glorious Saturday afternoon, falling behind 4-1 as starter Ben Cleaver didn’t make it out of the first inning. But four straight hits to open the fifth inning sparked a four-run rally capped by Brown’s run scoring sacrifice bunt. Two innings later Brown greeted left-handed reliever Evan Steckmesser by smashing a slider into the Crimson Tide bullpen to give UK an 8-4 lead.

Things got interesting in the ninth with a couple of groundballs through the infield but Jack Bennett earned his fifth save of the season and second of the series by striking out Bryce Fowler with the go-ahead run on first base.

NOTES

• Kentucky is 17-2 on the season, 2-0 in SEC play.
  • UK is 134-65 since the beginning of 2023.
• UK Coach Nick Mingione is in his 10th season at the helm and now owns a 309-194 career record.
  • Mingione is the second-winningest coach in school history.
  • UK is 121-45 in the month of March under Coach Mingione.
  • Mingione is 116-124 in SEC games.
  • Mingione is 161-66 at Kentucky Proud Park.
    • He now is 54-44 at Kentucky Proud Park vs. the SEC.
  • Mingione now is 10-5 vs. Alabama.
  • Mingione is 25-11 vs. teams from Alabama.
• With a four-run and three-run inning, Kentucky has scored at least three runs in an inning 19 times this season.
• IF Tyler Bell missed his 14^th game of the season.
• The bullpen pitched 8.1 innings and allowed only two runs until the ninth inning.
• Kentucky natives Burkley Bounds and Jack Bennett closed out the final 3.1 innings.
• IF Hudson Brown went 1-for-3 with a run, four RBI and a home run.
  • He had both a SAC bunt RBI and a back-breaking three-run homer.
  • It was his first homer of the season and first career at Kentucky Proud Park.
• IF Luke Lawrence went 2-for-4, 2 R and 2 RBI.
• C Owen Jenkins went 3-for-4 with a run and a double.
• RHP Jack Bennett earned his fifth save of the season and second in as many days.

ON DECK

UK faces Alabama on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET. The game is on SECN+ and the contest can be heard on UK Sports Network.