Bat Cats sweep Bama
Nate Harris gave Kentucky exactly what it was seeking on Sunday in the series finale against Alabama.
After watching the Wildcats’ bullpen stretched thin by throwing 8.1 innings in a gritty Game 2 win, Harris delivered six innings of no-hit baseball to highlight a 6-4 win at Kentucky Proud Park.
“The bullpen deserved some time off,” Harris said with a smile.
“That’s exactly what we needed,” UK head coach Nick Mingione added. “Boy, was he unbelievable… He was on-point with all of his stuff.”
Harris (3-1) had his best outing of the season, allowing two runs on one hit over six-plus innings. The sophomore right-hander struck out five and walked two.
It was an impressive bounce-back performance for Harris, who struggled in his last start against The Citadel, allowing five runs on three hits, four walks, and a hit batter in just 1.1 innings.
“I told him, you had a bad outing, flush it. We’re not reinventing the wheel here. You’re throwing the ball good,” Mingione said.
Kentucky (18-2, 3-0 SEC) extended its win streak to 13 with the three-game sweep.
Alabama (15-6, 0-3 SEC) finally collected its first hit and rallied for four runs in the seventh inning to threaten the Cats’ hopes of a sweep, but once again the UK bullpen came up with big outs when they were needed the most.
Ira Austin IV got a strikeout with the bases loaded to end the eighth inning, and Nile Adcock retired the Crimson Tide in order in the ninth inning to record his first save of the season.
Adcock pitched in the first inning of Saturday’s game and the ninth inning on Sunday.
“I can’t say enough good things about Nile,” Mingione said. “How we’ve used him, he’s embraced it. He’s special.”
Sophomore first baseman Hudson Brown highlighted the offensive attack for UK with two hits, including a home run for the second straight day, and two RBI.
Kentucky also got two hits apiece from junior outfielder Jayce Tharnish and sophomore designated hitter Tyler Bell, who also drove in a pair of runs.
Up Next
Kentucky returns to action on Tuesday when it plays host to Marshall for a 2 p.m. ET matchup on St. Patrick’s Day. The Cats will be leaving after that game for its next SEC series, which will begin on Thursday at Ole Miss.
