Au Revoir! Pitre’s Big Blast Powers Kentucky Past Kansas, 8-5

ROUND ROCK, Texas – Emilien Pitre delivered the biggest blow, Patrick Herrera continued to provide his own contributions and No. 24 Kentucky defeated Kansas, 8-5, on the final day of the sun-splashed Karbach Round Rock Classic at Dell Diamond.

Evan Byers pitched 3.0 scoreless innings of relief to close out the game and earn the victory, as UK (6-1) made a six-run two-out rally in the fourth inning stand up. UK returns to Kentucky Proud Park on Tuesday to host Western Kentucky.

With two outs and two on in the fourth, Ryan Waldschmidt grounded a ball to third base but the ensuing throw was high and wide, loading the bases. Herrera followed with a triple into the right field corner the clear the bases and Pitre greeted a Kansas reliever with an 0-2, two out, three-run home run the opposite way to give the Wildcats a 7-1 edge.

The Jayhawks close within 7-5 in the seventh and were threatening to erase the deficit when Byers started pumping strikes and forcing Kansas to earn any potential comeback via base hits. It could not square him up and the fearless lefty junior closed out the game while Waldschmidt added an insurance run with an RBI single in the eighth.

NOTES

• Kentucky now is 6-1 in 2024.
  • The Wildcats are 2-1 in the Karbach Round Rock Classic.
  • Kentucky is now 2-1 all time vs. Kansas.
• UK Coach Nick Mingione is in his eighth season at the helm and now owns a 222-151 career record.
  • Mingione needs 36 victories to become the second-winningest coach in school history.
  • UK is 42-17 in the month of February under Coach Mingione.
  • Mingione is 139-41 in non-conference games overall.
• Kentucky went 2-for-3 on stolen base attempts and now are 21-for-24 on the season.
• The Wildcats were hit by a pitch twice.
  • Kentucky batters were hit by 15 pitches in the 2024 Karbach Round Rock Classic.
• Junior Evan Byers pitched 3.0 scoreless innings, yielding three hits and striking out two to earn the victory on the mound.
• Junior Émilien Pitre recorded his third-multi hit game of the season.
  • It was his 19th multi-hit game of his career.
  • Pitre slammed a three-run, opposite field home run on an 0-2 pitch.
• Junior Patrick Herrera went 1-for-5 with three RBI.
  • He smacked a three-run, bases loaded triple.
  • He set a new career-best with three RBI.
• Senior INF Grant Smith went 2-for-4 with two runs scored.
• Junior Ryan Waldschmidt had his first hit of the season, an RBI single in the eighth inning.

ON DECK

Kentucky returns to Kentucky Proud Park on Tuesday to host Western Kentucky at 4 p.m. ET. The game will be streamed on SECN+.  Audio coverage will be provided by the UK Sports Network on UKathletics.com and 98.5 FM (Lexington).