NCAA Baseball Lexington Super Regional: Kentucky 3, Oregon State 2

Kentucky earned its first trip to the College World Series with a 3-2 win over Oregon State on Sunday night in game two of the Lexington Super Regional of the NCAA Baseball Tournament.

UK pitchers combined to hold OSU to just two hits in the game and just three total hits in the two games of the series.

Kentucky got on the board first when, in the top of the second inning, Nolan McCarthy doubled to right field. The ball took a friendly bounce, allowing Ryan Nicholson to score from first base, giving the Cats a 1-0 lead.

In the fourth inning, UK struck again and McCarthy was, again, in the middle of it. With runners on first and third, McCarthy laid down a bunt that Oregon State fielded and threw home. However, UK’s Mitchell Daly beat the throw and Kentucky grabbed a 2-0 advantage.

Oregon State scored its first run of the game in the bottom of the fourth inning when Wilson Weber walked with the bases loaded, forcing in Micah McDowell to make it 2-1. The Beavers tied the game two batters later when Brady Kasper walked, forcing in Gavin Turley, tying the game at 2-2. OSU’s two runs came without a hit.

McCarthy struck again for the Cats in the top of the seventh. He led off the inning with a double and, one out later, scored from second base on a wild pitch by OSU’s Nelson Keljo, giving UK a 3-2 lead.

Oregon State was held without a hit until Kasper laced a leadoff single to left field in the bottom of the seventh inning. The Beavers had two runners on, including the potential game-winning run, in the bottom of the ninth before UK closer Johnny Hummel struck out McDowell to keep OSU off the board.