@CoachRyanKY 🦉
LEXINGTON- A record crowd filled the confines of Kentucky Proud Park on Friday night. A program record, 6,922 fans saw the third-ranked Kentucky Wildcats pit against the fourth-ranked Volunteers from Tennessee in a series that all of College Baseball’s eyes were focused.
Pink fuzzy bucket hats, Baby Shark costumes, and lawn chairs set the scene for what ended up being an electric night. The Big Blue Nation really seems to be taking on the monicker of “weirdo” quite well.
The game started with one of the quickest pitching changes I have ever seen that was not injury related. Christian Stamos, a lefty, got the start for Tennessee. He only would throw eight pitches, that’s right…eight, before he was pulled for the right-handed AJ Causey.
Hunter Ensley, the Volunteers’ Center Fielder, got scoring started with a two-run shot that bounced off of the top of the Center Field wall and over the fence. Kentucky’s Ryan Waldschmidt (who is on an absolute tear as-of-late at the plate) added to his Home Run total that seems to grow every game at this point, bringing the Bat Cats within one run.
Nice answer.
A pitching duel would ensue until the Bottom of the Seventh Inning. Waldschmidt would step back up to the plate, grounding out but earning an RBI in the process to answer the third Tennessee run that was tallied during the Third Inning. His RBI would bring the Bat Cats within one run, 3-2 was the score.
Kentucky would go onto load up the bases when Emilíen Pitre lined a drive hard off of the mitt of the Tennessee Third Baseman scoring TWO runs on a double of his own to give Kentucky the lead 4-3.
Not to be left out of the fun, Nolan McCarthy provided Nick Mingione with some insurance as he sent the pearl deep into the night sky for his own “Big Blue Bomb”.
The score was 5-3 and “GO BIG BLUE” chants began to echo the Lexington night sky.
Johnny Hummel, Kentucky’s Closer (and First Base Coach), entered the game in the Ninth to finish it off for the Cats, and finish it off he did! Kentucky would complete the comeback win to sit firmly atop the SEC East. Taking this one with a Final Score of 5-3.
The Bat Cats will be back in action from Kentucky Proud Park on Saturday at 2pm. Ticket supply is limited, but bring a lawn chair and find some room. You certainly will be in for a “weird” but tremendously exciting afternoon.
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