Seventh Heaven: Seven-Run Eighth Inning Caps Furious Kentucky Rally

Down to its final five outs and having already hit into two double plays with the bases loaded it looked for all the world that Kentucky’s home opener celebration just wasn’t meant to be the party Big Blue Nation envisioned. Trailing by three entering the eighth inning, No. 24 Kentucky roared back from the cliff’s edge to score a 9-5 victory over Morehead State on Tuesday night at Kentucky Proud Park.

The Eagles out-Kentucky’d Kentucky for much of the night in taking advantage of uncharacteristic defensive miscues by the Wildcats and found ways to extricate themselves from a variety of stick situations on the way to a 5-2 lead through seven.

But UK (4-0) hung around just long enough to finally bust the dam with a quintessential Wildcats rally that saw walks, bunts, pinch hits and a pair of backbreaking rockets, including a bases clearing double off the wall by Ryan Nicholson. Prior to his liner, UK had hit into a 1-2-3 double play and watched a potential sacrifice fly turn into a double play when the runner tagging from third base was barely nabbed at home.

The Cats travel to Round Rock, Texas for the Karbach Round Rock Classic and are set to open with Washington State on Friday, Feb. 23 at 3 p.m. ET (2 p.m. locally).

NOTES

• UK Coach Nick Mingione is in his eighth season at the helm and now owns a 220-150 career record.
  • Mingione needs 38 victories to become the second-winningest coach in school history.
  • UK is 40-16 in the month of February under Coach Mingione.
  • Mingione is 137-40 in non-conference games overall and 119-16 vs. non-Power Five opponents.
  • Mingione now is 5-0 vs. Morehead State.
• Kentucky drew nine walks and was hit by three pitches.
• Kentucky used seven pitchers.
• Graduate INF Ryan Nicholson went 1-for-3 with a three-run double.
• Senior INF Mitchell Daly had an RBI single to give UK the lead, as well as walk.
• Redshirt Junior OF Nolan McCarthy went 1-for-2 with two runs, two RBI, a walk and a SAC.
• Redshirt Freshman RHP Drew Lafferty drew the start in his first career appearance and struck out two in two hitless innings.
• The following Wildcats made their debut in blue: C Austin Fawley, RHP Drew Lafferty, and LHP Hayden Smith.

ON DECK

The No. 24 Cats travel to Round Rock, Texas for the Karbach Round Rock Classic and are set to open with Washington State on Friday, Feb. 23 at 3 p.m. ET (2 p.m. locally). The game is on D1Baseball.com, with radio on the UK Sports Network (98.5 FM in Lexington).