Poos Day: No. 12 Kentucky Defeats No. 11 Alabama Behind Trey Pooser

Trey Pooser dealt aces for the third consecutive Friday night and a trio of Wildcats came up with clutch hits as No. 12 Kentucky defeated No. 11 Alabama 6-2 for its 13^th victory in the past 14 games.

Kentucky is off to a 9-1 start for the second straight season. No Southeastern Conference team has accomplished that feat in the past 32 seasons. Additionally, UK (25-4, 9-1) now is 7-0 against ranked teams and the current five-game winning streak in league play ties the longest of the Coach Nick Mingione era.

Pooser was sensational yet again in his third start as the Cats’ Friday night guy. He sprayed six hits around in seven innings, allowing two runs to an offense that entered the game averaging nine runs a game and top 10 nationally in hitting. Travis Smith entered in the eighth and slammed the door with two shutout innings of work.

Offensively, Mitchell Daly reached base three times and had a big two-out hit to give UK an early lead then watched as Devin Burkes and Nolan McCarthy delivered the two biggest blows. Burkes jumped on a first pitch hanging slider for a two-out, bases loaded, two-run single in the fifth and McCarthy unloaded on a 1-2 pitch for a 405-foot two-run homer an inning later. McCarthy now has three home runs in as many games.

NOTES

• Kentucky now is 25-4 in 2024, 9-1 in Southeastern Conference play.
  • Kentucky has won 13 of its past 14 games.
  • Kentucky is 9-0 in night games.
  • Kentucky is 14-2 in home games.
  • Kentucky is 6-2 on Friday.
  • Kentucky is 1-0 in April.
• Kentucky is off to a 9-1 start for the second straight season. No SEC team has accomplished that feat in the past 32 seasons.
• Kentucky is 7-0 vs. ranked teams this season and 66-92 under Coach Nick Mingione.
• The Cats’ current five-game win streak in SEC play ties the longest in the Mingione era.
• UK Coach Nick Mingione is in his eighth season at the helm and now owns a 241-154 career record.
  • Mingione needs 17 victories to become the second-winningest coach in school history.
  • UK is 50-54 in the month of April under Coach Mingione.
  • Mingione is 6-5 vs. Alabama.
• Kentucky has outscored SEC opponents 38-12 in the last three games.
• Senior Trey Pooser completed 7.0 innings, his longest outing in blue.
  • His final line: 7 IP, 6 H, 2 R, BB, 3 K (93 pitches, 63 strikes)
  • In his three starts (all in SEC play) his line: 18.2 IP, 15 H, 6 R (5 ER), 4 BB, 15 K
• Junior Nolan McCarthy went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run.
  • He tied the team lead with his fourth homer.
  • It was his 4th multi-RBI game of the season and 12^th
• Sophomore James McCoy drew three walks in four at-bats.
• RS Junior Devin Burkes went 1-for-4 with a two-run single.
  • He delivered a bases load two-run single in the fifth inning.
  • It was his fifth multi-RBI game of the season and 18^th
• Senior Mitchell Daly went 2-for-3 with a run, an RBI, a walk and a steal.
  • It was his fifth multi-hit game of the season.

ON DECK

The Wildcats and Crimson Tide return to Kentucky Proud Park on Saturday afternoon. The contest will begin at 2 p.m. ET and will be streamed on the SEC Network, with radio coverage available on 630-AM WLAP (Lexington) and UKAthletics.com.