Cats Face Wolfpack in Rematch on Sunday Night

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For the sixth time in school history, the Kentucky baseball team has made the finals of an NCAA Baseball Regional. Kentucky beat Indiana 14-9 in Sunday’s first game to advance to Sunday night’s Lexington Regional final against the region’s third seed, N.C. State.

The task for the Wildcats is to beat the Wolfpack on Sunday night to force a winner-take-all regional title game on Monday night at Cliff Hagan Stadium. N.C. State beat Kentucky 5-4 on Saturday night behind a strong pitching performance from Sean Adler, who went seven and two-thirds innings, allowing six hits and two earned runs while walking three and striking out five.

N.C. State (36-23) led off Saturday’s game with back-to-back home runs from Stephen Pitarra and Josh McClain to take a 2-1 lead. After Kentucky tied the game in the third inning, N.C. State got three runs in the bottom of the fifth to take a 5-2 lead.

Kentucky chipped away, getting a run in the top of the seventh inning when Riley Mahan singled, driving in Evan White to make it 5-3. In the top of the ninth, White hit a solo homer to right-center field to make it 5-4. But the Wildcats would get no closer.

In Sunday’s first game, Mahan had three hits, including a grand slam, to help Kentucky eliminate Indiana from the regional. Marcus Carson and Kole Cottam each had solo homers for the Wildcats (41-21).