Bat Cats down Ole Miss 17-9 to take series in Oxford
Behind 17 runs on 18 hits, Kentucky downed Ole Miss 17-9 on Saturday to take the weekend series in Oxford.
Center fielder Nolan McCarthy exploded for the Cats at the plate, going 3-6 with two home runs and six RBI. His two home runs and six RBI in a single game are both career-highs.
Right fielder James McCoy (four hits, one home run, two RBI) and designated hitter Nick Lopez (three hits, one double, two RBI) shined as well.
Grad transfer left-hander Dominic Niman made his seventh start of the season for Kentucky, allowing seven earned runs while striking out five batters in six innings pitched. On this occasion however, the Wildcat offense backed him up.
Last Saturday against Missouri, Niman allowed just two earned runs with nine strikeouts in seven innings pitched. He however took the loss, as Kentucky fell 2-1.
Kentucky’s 7-1 start in conference play is tied for the second best start in the Nick Mingione era (2017). The Cats started SEC play 9-1 in 2023.
The Bat Cats improve to 23-4 (7-1) on the season with the win.
Rebels and Cats trade runs early
Ole Miss scored just three total runs in Friday’s loss, but scored two in the first inning on Saturday.
Kentucky left-hander Dominic Niman gave up three straight singles to open the bottom of the first, bringing in the Rebels’ first run of the game. Ole Miss brought in their second run of the inning on an Ethan Lege RBI sac-fly, extending its lead to two. The Cats however responded immediately in the top of the second.
Ole Miss left-handed pitcher Liam Doyle, who struck out 10 batters in each of his first two SEC starts, struggled on Saturday against the Wildcat offense. Doyle walked Nick Lopez and Ryan Nicholson and plunked Mitch Daly to load the bases with no outs. Nolan McCarthy took advantage of the situation, ripping an RBI-single into right field to get the Cats on the board. Grant Smith was then walked with the bases loaded, tying the game at two.
It looked as if a big inning was in order for Kentucky, but Ryan Waldschmidt lined into an inning-ending double play to strand three runners on base.
The big inning however was on the horizon for the Bat Cats.
Four-run third inning chases Ole Miss’ Doyle
Doyle’s struggles continued in the third inning, where his day would come to an end.
Emilien Pitre led off the inning with a single up the middle. He eventually made his way to third following a balk and a gutsy steal, putting a runner 90 feet away from home with no outs. After walking Devin Burkes, Doyle gave up and RBI-single to Nick Lopez, which propelled the Cats in front.
Kentucky plated another run via a Ryan Nicholson RBI-groundout, bringing Nolan McCarthy to bat with two outs in the inning.
McCarthy, who drove in an RBI earlier in the game, belted a no-doubt two-run home run over the left field wall to cap off a four-run Wildcat inning. It marked his second home run of the season.
Liam Doyle’s day came to an end after 2 2/3 innings pitched, where he allowed six earned runs and walked four batters. He entered Saturday’s game with just five total walks in his previous 19 2/3 innings pitched.
James McCoy extends Kentucky’s lead back to three
Kentucky tacked on one more run in the top of the fourth inning courtesy of an Emilien Pitre RBI sac-fly, taking a 7-2 lead.
Ole Miss however responded in the latter half of the inning, scoring five runs to pull back within one.
James McCoy extended the Cats’ lead back out to three in the fifth inning, thanks to a two-run Big Blue Bomb.
McCoy hit a long fly ball that got caught in the Mississippi wind, that continued to carry out over the left field wall for McCoy’s second home run of the season. Play to the elements.
Have a day, Nolan McCarthy
Nolan McCarthy’s big day continued in the sixth inning, where his second home run on the day put the game out of reach for Kentucky.
Nick Lopez opened the frame with a leadoff single, and was followed by a Ryan Nicholson drawn walk. McCarthy, who had already homered and drove in three RBI on the day, stepped up to bat.
On the second pitch of the at-bat, McCarthy lifted a high drive over the right field wall for his second home run of the game. The redshirt junior finished with six total RBI on the day.
After a Ryan Waldschmidt RBI-single, Kentucky’s lead extended back to 13-7.
Wildcats take the series
The Cats poured on four more insurance runs in the ninth, marking the third four-run inning of the game.
Lefty Evan Byers entered in the bottom of the ninth, allowing just one run to finish off the Rebels.
Kentucky will go for the weekend sweep on Sunday. First pitch scheduled for 2:30 p.m. EST.
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