Kentucky Sweeps No. 25 Georgia in Run-Rule Victory

Ryan Nicholson homered twice, Emilien Pitre homered and doubled and Mason Moore was electric on the mound as Kentucky scored a run-rule 12-2 seven-inning victory on Sunday at Kentucky Proud Park to sweep No. 25 Georgia.

It is the first time in school history the Wildcats (17-3, 3-0 SEC) have opened SEC play by sweeping a three-game series in consecutive seasons, having wiped out Mississippi State in 2023.

Georgia (17-4, 0-3) came into Lexington with the school’s best start in modern history and the nation’s top home run-hitting offense but watched as Kentucky outscored it 37-15 and hit eight home runs in the series to just four for the Bulldogs. UK had three more on Sunday with Nicholson twice leaving the yard and Pitre hammering his second of the season. Nicholson has three in the last four games.

Moore flinched just once, a second inning home run that gave Georgia a 2-0 edge before the Cats scored 12 unanswered. It was the second time this week UK scored double-digit unanswered runs. Moore set a new career high with eight strikeouts in 6.0 three-hit innings, including two of Charlie Condon, one of the nation’s most feared hitters.

NOTES

• Kentucky now is 17-3 in 2024, 3-0 in Southeastern Conference play.
  • Kentucky is 13-3 in day games.
  • Kentucky is 11-2 at home.
• UK Coach Nick Mingione is in his eighth season at the helm and now owns a 233-153 career record.
  • Mingione needs 25 victories to become the second-winningest coach in school history.
  • UK is 95-36 in the month of March under Coach Mingione.
• Kentucky has opened SEC play 3-0 for the second straight season.
  • This is the FIRST time in school history UK has swept three-game SEC-opening series in back-to-back seasons.
• Kentucky scored five runs in the third inning and four in the fifth.
  • All five runs came with two outs and nobody on base.
  • It is the fourth time it has scored five runs in an inning in the series.
  • It is the 16^th time it has scored 4+ in an inning this season.
  • It is the 190^th time UK has scored 4+ in an inning in Mingione era.
• UK outscored the No. 25 Bulldogs 37-15 in the series.
• UK scored 12 unanswered runs on Sunday.
  • Eight of the nine position players in the lineup had a hit and scored a run.
• UK out-homered the nation’s leading home run-hitting team 8-4 in the series.
• Senior INF Ryan Nicholson went 2-for-3 with three runs, three RBI and two home runs.
  • He tied his career high in hits and RBI and set a new high in runs.
  • He is the first UK player to hit two home runs a game since Hunter Gilliam in April 2023.
• Junior INF Emilien Pitre went 2-for-2 with two runs, three RBI, a double, a home run and a walk.
  • It was his ninth multi-hit game of the season and 27^th
  • It was his fourth multi-RBI game of the season and 19^th
• Junior RHP Mason Moore earned his fourth victory of the season.
  • His final line: 6 innings, three hits, two runs, two walks and eight strikeouts.
  • His last two outings: 12.2 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 13 K
  • He struck out a career-high eight.
    • Two of the strikeouts were of the nation’s leading home run hitter, Charlie Condon.

ON DECK

The Wildcats will return to Kentucky Proud Park on Tuesday night vs. Evansville. The contest between the Cats and the Aces will begin at 6:30 p.m. ET on Friday night and will be streamed on the SECN+, with radio coverage available on 98.5 FM (Lexington) and UKAthletics.com.