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MORGANTOWN, WV — Kentucky baseball couldn't have scripted it any better. It's always employed a small-ball approach under coach Nick Mingione. It worked to perfection in the ninth inning of a tie ballgame Friday in an NCAA Tournament regional matchup versus Wake Forest.
Center fielder Jayce Tharnish reached on a single.
He scored the go-ahead — and what eventually turned out to be the game winning — run without another hit in the inning of the Wildcats' 6-5 win. Tharnish stole second. And third.
He scored on a wild pitch.
And that was all it took to clinch UK's come-from-behind win after trailing 3-0 through four innings.
The No. 3 seed in the Morgantown Regional, Kentucky (32-21) moves on in the winner's bracket. At 5 p.m. Saturday, it'll take on either top-seeded West Virginia or 4-seed Binghamton. The Mountaineers and Bearcats square off in Friday's second game, set for 5 p.m.
The Demon Deacons face the loser of the Mountaineers/Bearcats tilt. The elimination game will start at noon Saturday.
Here are three takeaways from Kentucky's win in its opening game of the double-elimination regional.
The primary storyline entering Friday's contest was the potential pitching matchup.
Wake Forest made it clear it would start its ace, Chris Levonas. Kentucky decided to be a bit more secretive, waiting until game time to announce its star pitcher, Jaxon Jelkin, would toe the mound. (A tidbit the Demon Deacons poked fun at when they posted their lineup on social media prior to first pitch.) All in all, both fared well.
But there was a clear winner.
Levonas went five innings, giving up just two hits and one run, which was earned. He struck out nearly ⅓ of the batters he faced: six of 19. Fifty eight of his 96 tosses were strikes. Levonas issued just one walk and allowed a single extra-base hit.
Jelkin, on the other hand, was far more scratchy. He threw six innings, giving up four runs (all earned) on nine hits. Jelkin had five strikeouts and no walks, but permitted a pair of homers among his four extra-base hits.
Individually, Levonas was better.
Undoubtedly, he'd exchange it for what Jelkin's team had: a win.
Second baseman Luke Lawrence had a tense moment in Friday's sixth inning.
Attempting to bunt, it caromed off his bat and hit him on the leg. He was down for an extended period of time.
But he got to his feet, dusted himself off and finished the at-bat, eventually inducing a walk.
He went on to score what was then the tying run. In a sense, it was another example of the refuse-to-die attitude that has been this team's identity the past month.
This story will be updated.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky baseball vs Wake Forest score, how UK won NCAA Regional game
Continue reading...
Center fielder Jayce Tharnish reached on a single.
He scored the go-ahead — and what eventually turned out to be the game winning — run without another hit in the inning of the Wildcats' 6-5 win. Tharnish stole second. And third.
He scored on a wild pitch.
And that was all it took to clinch UK's come-from-behind win after trailing 3-0 through four innings.
The No. 3 seed in the Morgantown Regional, Kentucky (32-21) moves on in the winner's bracket. At 5 p.m. Saturday, it'll take on either top-seeded West Virginia or 4-seed Binghamton. The Mountaineers and Bearcats square off in Friday's second game, set for 5 p.m.
The Demon Deacons face the loser of the Mountaineers/Bearcats tilt. The elimination game will start at noon Saturday.
Here are three takeaways from Kentucky's win in its opening game of the double-elimination regional.
Showdown of star pitchers lives up to the billing. Somewhat.
The primary storyline entering Friday's contest was the potential pitching matchup.
Wake Forest made it clear it would start its ace, Chris Levonas. Kentucky decided to be a bit more secretive, waiting until game time to announce its star pitcher, Jaxon Jelkin, would toe the mound. (A tidbit the Demon Deacons poked fun at when they posted their lineup on social media prior to first pitch.) All in all, both fared well.
But there was a clear winner.
Levonas went five innings, giving up just two hits and one run, which was earned. He struck out nearly ⅓ of the batters he faced: six of 19. Fifty eight of his 96 tosses were strikes. Levonas issued just one walk and allowed a single extra-base hit.
Jelkin, on the other hand, was far more scratchy. He threw six innings, giving up four runs (all earned) on nine hits. Jelkin had five strikeouts and no walks, but permitted a pair of homers among his four extra-base hits.
Individually, Levonas was better.
Undoubtedly, he'd exchange it for what Jelkin's team had: a win.
Luke Lawrence toughs it out in what became a key moment
Second baseman Luke Lawrence had a tense moment in Friday's sixth inning.
Attempting to bunt, it caromed off his bat and hit him on the leg. He was down for an extended period of time.
But he got to his feet, dusted himself off and finished the at-bat, eventually inducing a walk.
He went on to score what was then the tying run. In a sense, it was another example of the refuse-to-die attitude that has been this team's identity the past month.
This story will be updated.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky baseball vs Wake Forest score, how UK won NCAA Regional game
Continue reading...
