Kentucky Hits Six Home Runs in Wild, See-Saw Series Finale
In a series more befitting a Super Regional stage, No. 2 Tennessee outlasted No. 3 Kentucky 13-11 in a heavyweight series finale in front of another massive crowd at Kentucky Proud Park on Sunday afternoon.
UK shattered its previous record attendance for a three-game series, packing 21,023 fans into the ballpark over the weekend. Friday broke the single-game record, Saturday then re-set the mark again at 7,304 and Sunday’s gate would have set the mark previously established before this weekend. The previous series total attendance had been 12,815 in 2018 in the final weekend of Cliff Hagan Stadium.
The teams split the first two games, setting up a blockbuster Sunday. It didn’t disappoint.
Tennessee jumped out to a 2-0 lead before the Cats (32-7, 15-3 Southeastern Conference) responded with six straight runs to take a four-run lead into the back half of the contest. But the Volunteers, in particular Christian Moore, wouldn’t submit.
Moore, who hit three homers in the game, hit two over the final four innings including the backbreaker with two outs in the eighth inning. But the big damage was done in the sixth when a combination of timely hits and UK’s struggle to get a put away pitch conspired to yield five runs and allow the Vols back into the game. Moore finished 4-for-5 with six RBI, a double and three homers.
UK wasn’t done though, as it brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth inning after back-to-back home runs by Mitchell Daly, his second of the game, and Ryan Nicholson. Devin Burkes, Nolan McCarthy and Grant Smith also homered in the game but five of the six were solo shots that couldn’t overcome the four shots Tennessee hit.
NOTES
- Kentucky now is 32-7 in 2024, 15-3 in Southeastern Conference play.
- Kentucky is 19-6 in day games.
- Kentucky is 8-3 in April.
- Kentucky is 7-2 in SEC home games.
- The three-game attendance of 21,023 sets a new Kentucky record.
- Previous mark was 2018 vs. Mississippi State in the final series at Cliff Hagan Stadium (12,815).
- The previous mark in Kentucky Proud Park was 2019 vs. Vanderbilt (12,389).
- Kentucky is 10-2 vs. ranked teams and 13-2 vs. Quad 1 opponents.
- Kentucky has hit 28 home runs in its last eight games.
- Kentucky scored 3+ runs in an inning for the 51st time this season.
UK Coach Nick Mingione is in his eighth season at the helm and now owns a 248-157 career record.
- Mingione needs 10 victories to become the second-winningest coach in school history.
- UK is 57-57 in the month of April under Coach Mingione.
- Mingione now is 9-12 vs. Tennessee.
ON DECK
The Wildcats take the week off before traveling to South Carolina next weekend for a series that begins Friday night. First pitch is at 7 p.m. ET and the game will be streamed on the SECN+ and there will be an audio broadcast via the UK Sports Network.
