Kentucky baseball (7-1) faced its first comeback threat of the season in its 7-5 victory versus Hofstra (3-5). This game was the start of the first home series of the season for the Wildcats.

In a game that came down to the last pitch, three Wildcats stepped up and made the difference.

Jackson Nove, Luke Lawrence and Cole Hage had great individual performances that propelled Kentucky to a victory.

Nove is one of the most notable returning pitchers for the Cats — he made 28 appearances last year and posted a 4.91 ERA in SEC play out of the bullpen. The most memorable outing was when Nove struck out four batters in two hitless innings against Oregon State in the Super Regional.

This season Nove has been on a different level. He has thrown seven scoreless innings across three appearances. In those innings, he has struck out 15 and walked just two.

This game was no exception. Nove entered in the top of the fifth inning and delivered two hitless innings. He struck out five of the seven batters he faced and allowed the Wildcats to add two runs to their lead in his time on the mound.

“His Leadership has been phenomenal,” Head Coach Nick Mingione said. “It started off the mound, and it’s really carried over onto the mound.”

While Nove showed up in a big way on the mound, Lawrence and Hage carried the load for the Wildcats offensively. The pair hit a combined 5-8 with four RBI and three runs with one steal each.

Lawrence has struggled at the leadoff spot so far this season. He entered the game hitting .150 in 20 at-bats.

He flipped the switch on Friday — Lawrence hit his first home run of the season to put Kentucky on the board in the bottom of the third. This was the seventh career home run for Lawrence.

“Not many that will go over the fence for me,” Lawrence said. “Luckily, the wind took that one.”

Lawrence also had an RBI double in the bottom of the fifth, and he then crossed the plate for his second run of the game.

“He hasn’t actually got a ton of hits of late,” Mingione said. “He’s fully capable of doing that.”

Hage had just as much of an impact. He ended the night 3-4 with two RBI and two runs.

Hage has been the catalyst for the Wildcats’ offense all season. He is hitting .577, .556 with runners in scoring position on the season with four doubles, two home runs, 12 runs and seven walks.  These all lead the team.

Hage is also second on the team with eight RBI and has the least strikeouts of any Wildcat with at least 10 at-bats.

“Cole’s just been pivotal for us this whole season,” Lawrence said. “We’re gonna be really good when he’s rolling like he is.”

Hage added three hits, two doubles, to his season total in this game. He also drove in two runs and scored once.

“His (Hage) routine is unbelievable,” Mingione said. “He’s a Machine in his routine, and how hard he works and what he does to prepare for the game.”

With the Wildcats sweeping the series against Hofstra, they’ll have a home-and-home against EKU in the midweek and another home series against Wofford over the weekend.

“Something unique about our wins lately, we haven’t won the same way,” Lawrence said. “We’re always going to find a way to do it(win),” Lawrence said. “We’ve been doing a good job at that.”