Kentucky baseball is on a heater. The Cats welcomed Alabama to Kentucky Proud Park over the weekend to start the SEC portion of their schedule. Kentucky had won 10 in a row, and by Sunday night that number would be 13.
Game 1 was a workhorse pitching win
Kentucky's pitching gave up 4 runs and threw 53 more pitches than Alabama's, but it was the Cats walking away victorious. After 2 2-run home runs by Ryan Schwartz and Ethan Hindle, Kentucky had as many runs as it would need heading into the 4th inning. They would knock off Alabama 7-4 to open SEC play with a win.
Game 2 saw a 4-run explosion in the fifth inning propel the Cats to victory
Alabama had a 3-0 lead going into the bottom of the 3rd inning, the Cats would add 1 run there, but the Tide cancelled that out with another run in the 4th. Kentucky went quietly through their half of the fourth, but that would not happen in the 5th inning.
Kentucky would plate 4 runs in that 5th inning and add 3 more in the 7th. And they needed all of those as Alabama had a furious 3-run 9th inning before the Cats closed the door, holding off the surging Tide 8-7.
This time, it was Hudson Brown using the long ball; his 3-run HR in the 7th proved to be too much for the Tide to overcome.
Game 3 was more of the same as Alabama roared back
Nate Harris was absolutely phenomenal, going 6 innings of no-hit baseball. He tried going into the 7th, but he had given all he could. His day ended with 6 innings pitched, 2 earned runs, 5 strikeouts, and 2 walks.
While Harris was dominating on the mound, Kentucky's offensive momentum continued. The Cats would score 5 runs through the first 6 innings. Hudson Brown would hit his 2nd home run of the series while Luke Lawrence would steal his 9th base of the season.
Alabama would tack on 2 more runs in the 7th to make things interesting, but the Cats held on 6-4 for the series sweep.
Up next is Marshall
The Cats will still be in Lexington, as they continue the homestand, welcoming the 11-8 Thundering Herd to Kentucky Proud Park. Marshall has won 3 straight, so someone's winning streak will be coming to an end Tuesday. First pitch is set for 2 PM with live coverage on the SEC Network+.