No. 8 Kentucky baseball (30-5 14-1 SEC) completed the series sweep of Auburn (18-17, 2-13 SEC) in comeback fashion by a score of 13-8.
Both teams were quiet offensively to start the game, as the score remained 0-0 going into the bottom of the second.
Then, the Tigers started to heat up, starting with a solo homerun from Cade Belyeu to take a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second. This was followed by an RBI single by Deric Fabian.
Things only got worse in the bottom of the third as Mason Moore walked the first three batters to load the bases before Chris Stanfield hit a sacrifice fly-out to make the score 3-0.
Émilien Pitre made an error that brought in a runner, then Cale Stricklin was hit by a pitch. The final run of the inning was scored when Cooper Weiss hit a sacrifice fly that made the score 7-0 Tigers.
The Cats didn’t get on the board until the top of the fifth, when James McCoy hit a three-run homer to center field before the Bat Cats lived up to their name and exploded in the sixth inning, starting with a solo home run from Ryan Nicholson.
Later in the inning Devin Burkes came up with bases loaded and hit a ball off the top of the wall that unloaded the bases and tied the game at 7-7.
To cap off the inning, Nick Lopez brought home Burkes on a two-run home run which gave Kentucky its first lead of the game at 9-7.
After a scoreless inning in the seventh, the Cats extended their lead in the eighth as Lopez hit his second home run of the game, making the score 12-7.
The Cats scored one more time in the top of the ninth as Ryan Waldschmidt hit a double down the left field line, bringing in one more run.
Auburn shortened the lead in the bottom of the ninth with a solo home run from Eric Guevara, but it wasn’t enough as Johnny Hummel struck out the last three batters and Kentucky escaped with a 13-8 comeback win.
The Bat Cats finished with 13 hits in the comeback effort led by Lopez, who had three hits and five RBIs.
The Wildcats will return to action on Tuesday, April 16, when they will travel to Louisville for a matchup against the rival Louisville Cardinals, with first pitch scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET.
