Comeback Cats overcome seven-run deficit to down Auburn 13-8
No. 8 Kentucky scored 13 unanswered runs after falling behind 7-0 to down Auburn 13-8 on Saturday. With the win, the Cats finished off their third consecutive SEC series sweep.
Saturday’s win marked Kentucky’s 10th straight SEC win, bringing its conference record to a league-leading 14-1. Kentucky’s 14-1 SEC start extends their program record for its best start in conference play.
Ryan Nicholson capped off his big weekend by going 2-5 at the plate with another home run on Saturday. Nicholson went 10-17 with four home runs and seven RBI this weekend, improving his season batting average from .236 to .295.
Nick Lopez also garnered his first multi-home run game as a Wildcat. Lopez’s two-run homer in the sixth gave Kentucky its first lead of the game and his three-run shot in the eighth propelled the Cats ahead by five. He finished with five RBI on the day.
All nine Kentucky batters reached base while eight finished with at least one hit. The Cats notched double-digit hits in all three games of the series and finished with 11 total home runs.
Kentucky improves to 30-5 (14-1), which is the third best overall record in the conference. The Bat Cats might just jump into the top five of Monday mornings’s Top 25 Rankings.
Players of the Game
- 1B Ryan Nicholson: Nicholson went 2-4 on Saturday with a solo home run.
- DH Nick Lopez: Lopez went 3-4 with two home runs and five total RBI.
- RHP Robert Hogan: Hogan pitched three scoreless innings in relief, earning his first win of the season.
Auburn jumps out to first lead of weekend
Auburn jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second, marking its first lead of the entire weekend. The Tigers’ early lead also marked the first time Kentucky has trailed in SEC play since March 30.
Auburn left fielder Cade Belyeu led off the inning with a solo home run on the first pitch of the frame from Mason Moore, propelling the Tigers ahead. Belyeu’s long ball was just the fifth allowed by Moore this season.
Following Belyeu’s solo shot, second baseman Deric Fabian singled and third baseman Eric Guevara doubled, bringing Moore’s hit count to three in the inning. Following a walk, the right-hander loaded the bases with just one out.
Tiger shortstop Cooper Weiss converted with ducks on the pond, lifting an RBI sac-fly to right field to bring in Auburn’s second run of the inning. They led 2-0 through two.
Tigers chase Moore after less than stellar outing
Mason Moore‘s uncharacteristic struggles continued in the third, where his day would come to an end.
Moore walked the first three batters of the inning, loading the bases once again. The right-hander gave up his second RBI sac-fly of the game and a single, ending his outing after just 2 1/3 innings pitched.
Saturday marked Moore’s shortest start of the season and his five earned runs marked his most allowed.
Auburn scored four more runs after Moore’s departure, all which came in a four-play sequence. Emilien Pitre was unable to field a groundball cleanly, allowing a run to score from third.
Left-hander Evan Byers, who relieved Moore, then plunked Auburn’s Cale Stricklin with the bases full to gift the Tigers a free run. An RBI sac-fly and an RBI-single later, Auburn took a dominant 7-0 lead.
Wildcat offense comes to life in fifth
After not putting a single runner on base through the first three innings, the Cats finally scratched their first run across in the fifth inning.
Ryan Nicholson and Nolan McCarthy led off the inning with back-to-back singles, putting two on for James McCoy.
McCoy, who was 0-9 on the weekend heading to bat, belted a three-run home run to deep center field on the second pitch of the at-bat. Suddenly, the Bat Cats were squarely back in the game.
Six-run Biggie Box gives Kentucky first lead of game
The Kentucky offense exploded for four hits and six runs in the sixth inning to take its first lead of the game.
The red-hot Ryan Nicholson kicked off the inning with his fourth home run of the weekend, a solo shot to pull the Cats within three. Nicholson is up to 10 home runs on the season, which leads the team.
Nicholson’s long ball was followed by a Nolan McCarthy single and drawn walks by James McCoy and Ryan Waldschmidt, loading the bases for Devin Burkes.
Burkes, just like Nicholson, has been red-hot at the plate this weekend. The catcher came up to bat with an opportunity to tie or give the Cats a lead and delivered. Burkes hit a hard-hit ball to deep center field, which dropped just out of reach of Auburn center fielder Chris Stanfield.
All three runners on base were able to score and suddenly the game was tied at seven, much to the chagrin of the shocked Auburn fans in attendance.
Nick Lopez capped off the big inning with a two-run home run to propel the Cats ahead for the first time. A whopping nine unanswered runs had brought Kentucky from down seven to up two.
Comeback Cats.
Comeback Cats finish off series sweep
Nick Lopez tacked on three more insurance runs in the eighth via his second home run of the game, giving Kentucky a comfortable five-run lead.
Auburn loaded the bases with one out in the eighth, but right-hander Johnny Hummel relieved Cooper Robinson and forced back-to-back flyouts to get out of the jam.
Hummel allowed a solo home run in the ninth, but struck out the next three batters in order to cement the series victory.
What’s next for No. 8 Kentucky?
The Bat Cats will be back in action on Tuesday, as they head to Louisville (20-13, 6-7) for the Battle of the Bluegrass. First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. EST. The game will be streamed on ACC Network.
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