Skip to main content
KSRKSR Plus
KSBoard
Kentucky
Join KSR+

Kentucky stunned in 8-7 walk-off loss to No. 9 Vanderbilt

Danby: Daniel Hager05/16/25DanielHagerOn3
Kentucky-stunned-walk-off-loss-Vanderbilt
Kentucky's Simon Gregersen (Photo via UK Athletics)

Kentucky fell to No. 9 Vanderbilt 8-7 in brutal walk-off fashion Thursday night in the opening game of its weekend series. With the loss, the ‘Cats fall to 29-21 (13-15) and fail to get to .500 in SEC play for the first time this season.

After jumping out to a 5-0 lead in the first inning, the ‘Cats led for the entire game until Vanderbilt’s Braden Holcomb belted a two-out, two strike, three-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning. Just a brutal loss for a Kentucky team that looked to have been in control the entire way.

Seven of Kentucky’s nine players in the starting lineup notched a hit, with left fielder Cole Hage leading the way two apiece (two doubles). Both James McCoy and Carson Hansen belted home runs in what was a five-run first inning for Kentucky.

Freshman right-hander Nate Harris made his 12th start of the season on Friday and was solid before he began to fall apart in the fifth inning. Harris allowed seven hits and five earned runs with three strikeouts in four innings of work.

Left-hander Jackson Nove delivered a stellar outing in which he allowed just two hits with five strikeouts in four relief innings, but Simon Gregersen allowed the walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth.

Kentucky explodes for five runs in opening frame

Vanderbilt freshman right-handed pitcher Austin Nye made his first EVER SEC start Thursday night for the Commodores. That start would last just 2/3 inning however after Kentucky plated five runs before recording two outs.

Tyler Bell reached on an infield single and Luke Lawrence was plunked by Nye, immediately putting two runners on base for Cole Hage. It appeared as if Hage had struck out, but the at-bat continued as it was ruled he *just* fouled off what would have been strike three. This ended up being a huge ruling for the ‘Cats, as Hage ripped an RBI-double to the right center gap on the next pitch.

With runners on the corners now for Kentucky, the red-hot James McCoy stepped to the plate. McCoy, who entered the game hitting for a .375 average over his last nine games, belted a three-run home run to left center field to extend the Wildcat lead to four.

The ‘Cats however weren’t done hitting long balls, as Carson Hansen followed McCoy two at-bats later with a solo home run to make it 5-0 Kentucky. Hansen notched his sixth longball of the season and then made a stellar grab running into the center field fence in the latter half inning.

Before fans could even get settled in at Hawkins Field, Kentucky had already garnered a 5-0 lead.

Vandy responds with two-out longball

Kentucky freshman right-hander Nate Harris kept the Commodores scoreless through 2 2/3 innings before surrendering his first runs of the game.

Harris recorded his second out with second baseman Rustan Rigdon on first base, looking to get out of the inning unscathed. First baseman Riley Nelson however jumped on a 1-0 pitch for two-run home run over the right field wall, cutting into Kentucky’s lead.

With the score now being 5-2 Kentucky, Cole Hage single handedly stretched the Wildcat lead back to four in the top of the fourth. He belted a one-out double (his second of the game), attempted to steal third and then nabbed home after an errant throw down to third by Vanderbilt catcher Colin Barczi.

The Columbia transfer recorded his 14th stolen base of the season, which leads all Kentucky players.

‘Dores crawl back into it

After Raphael Pelletier extended the Wildcat lead to five with an RBI-single in the top of the fifth, Vanderbilt responded three runs of its own in the bottom of the inning.

Nate Harris‘ outing quickly went south, as he allowed three consecutive extra-base hits to open the half inning. Two runs would score on the Mike Mancini solo home run and an RJ Austin RBI-double, with another one crossing home via an RBI-single from third baseman Brodie Johnston. Harris’ day effectively came to an end, as he was replaced by left-hander Jackson Nove.

Following a stellar 1-2-3 inning of relief by Nove in the sixth, Kentucky then had a great opportunity to stretch its lead back out in the top of the seventh. The bases were loaded with no outs, but Tyler Bell struck out and Luke Lawrence grounded into a double play to end the once promising half inning.

Vanderbilt walks it off

Nove held Vanderbilt scoreless once again in the seventh and eighth innings, bringing the Wildcat offense back to the plate in the top of the ninth with a chance to tack on some insurance runs.

They however went down in order, bringing right-hander Simon Gregersen to the mound in the bottom of the ninth to attempt to close out the win for the ‘Cats.

Gregersen opened his outing with a four-pitch walk, but then bounced back and forced a groundout. After a hit by pitch to put runners on first and second, the right-hander forced a strikeout to record his second out. With just one out remaining to cement the series opening win, Gregersen just could not close it out.

After pitching left fielder Braden Holcomb to a 1-2 count, the Vanderbilt sophomore belted a walk-off three-run home run to gift wrap the Commodores a win that you could argue they stole right out from under the ‘Cats.

What’s next for Kentucky?

Kentucky and No. 9 Vanderbilt will run it back for game two of the weekend series Friday at 7:00 p.m. EST. With rain forecasted in the Nashville area tomorrow night however, the game may possibly be moved up to earlier in the day.

Discuss This Article

Comments have moved.

Join the conversation and talk about this article and all things Kentucky Sports in the new KSR Message Board.

KSBoard

2025-08-03