Vanderbilt Holds On for Victory in Fireworks-Filled Contest

Thunder over Louisville takes place down the road later Saturday but Kentucky and Vanderbilt put on their own fireworks display earlier in the day.

UK star Tyler Bell was ejected during one of several on-field verbal exchanges between the teams and Vanderbilt used a seven-run second inning fueled by Kentucky self-inflicted wounds to score an 8-7 victory and set UK’s fifth-straight series rubber match.

Bell will serve a mandatory one-game suspension on Sunday.

The Cats rode Friday night’s momentum to a 1-0 lead after one but couldn’t find the strike zone in the second inning. UK walked six, hit a batter and had a two-base throwing error that resulted in seven Vanderbilt runs. The Commodores would score just one run the rest of the game, a ninth inning insurance run that proved to be the difference.

UK slowly clawed back into the game and put the tying run on second in Braxton Van Cleave after his two-run double in the ninth. But the Cats could advance him no further.

NOTES

• Kentucky is 26-11 on the season, 8-9 in SEC play.
  • UK is 17-4 at Kentucky Proud Park in 2026.
  • UK is 144-73 since the beginning of 2023.
• UK Coach Nick Mingione is in his 10th season at the helm and now owns a 319-203 career record.
  • Mingione is the second-winningest coach in school history.
  • Mingione is 121-133 in SEC games.
    • He is 69-56 in home SEC games overall, 57-47 at Kentucky Proud Park.
  • Mingione now is 8-19 vs. Vanderbilt.
  • Mingione is 38-33 vs. teams from Tennessee.
• UK will be playing a series rubber game for the fourth consecutive weekend.
• UK left 11 runners on base.
• UK walked six batters, hit a batter and had a two-base throwing error in the second inning.
• IF Ethan Hindle went 3-for-4 with a run, RBI, HBP and steal.
• OF Will Marcy hit his first home run in a UK uniform.
  • He drove in three runs.
• OF Braxton Van Cleave had a two-run double in the ninth inning.
• OF Jayce Tharnish saw his 14-game hit streak end.
• IF Tyler Bell was ejected in the sixth inning.
• RHP Tristan Hunter pitched 3.0 hitless innings.
  • It was a career high in innings.
• RHP Jack Sams pitched three scoreless innings.
  • The three innings were a career high.
  • He allowed two hits, walked one and struck out a career-high four.

ON DECK

UK hosts Vanderbilt on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET. The game is on SECN+ and the contest can be heard on UK Sports Network/630 WLAP.