Kentucky baseball (29-20, 13-14 SEC) won its final home game of the regular season against Northern Kentucky (27-23, 15-12 HL) by a score of 6-1.

The Wildcats used eight arms to get through the game, with just one besides the starter throwing a complete inning. 

Despite not getting lengthy efforts, the pitchers were still very effective. The group allowed just one earned run and struck out 11 in the ballgame.

“We had a group of pitchers tonight that picked each other up,” Kentucky Head Coach Nick Mingione said.

Kyuss Gargett had a good day on offense, recording two hits and accounting for half of the Wildcats’ runs with one run scored and two RBIs.

Scott Rouse started on the mound for the Wildcats for the second time this season.

Rouse tossed five scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and striking out seven. This matched his season-high for strikeouts.

“Trusting the guys behind me, I was able to get ahead,” Rouse said. “It was kind of a recipe for me.”

The Wildcats’ bats didn’t get going until the second inning when Ryan Schwartz hit his first career home run with a solo shot to left field that gave Kentucky a 1-0 lead.

“(Schwartz) has waited, he got healthy, and now he’s taking advantage of the opportunities,” Mingione said. “He’s done a great job.”

In the third inning, Tyler Bell reached on a single, then stole second before advancing to third on a wild pitch. Bell scored on a sacrifice fly from Cole Hage.

The Wildcats went three-up, three-down in the fourth, but added another run in the fifth.

Gargett led off the fifth inning with a bunt single, then advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt from Devin Burkes before reaching third on a groundout by Bell. Gargett scored on a wild pitch to extend the Kentucky lead to three runs.

Rouse was replaced by Leighton Harris before the top of the sixth inning. Harris surrendered a single and a walk, putting a runner on first and second base with one out. This led to another Kentucky pitching change as Nile Adcock replaced Harris on the mound.

Adcock hit the first batter he faced, loading the bases. Adcock escaped the jam without giving up a run after he fielded a comebacker and threw it home to Burkes who fired it to first for a 1-2-3 double play.

Tommy Skelding came out of the bullpen to replace Adcock on the mound before the start of the seventh inning. Skelding struck out the first two batters faced before forcing a frame-ending fly out.

Zak Spurrier replaced Skelding on the mound before the start of the eighth inning. Spurrier walked his first batter, then surrendered a single. The next batter hit an RBI-single through the left side of the infield to score NKU’s first and only run of the game.

Spurrier was replaced by Cole Henschel following the RBI and he retired both batters he faced to escape the jam without allowing further damage.

The Wildcats responded with three runs in the bottom of the inning. Luke Lawrence led off the inning with a single, then Hage walked. James McCoy loaded the bases with a bunt single.

Lawrence scored on a groundout by Patrick Herrera. McCoy and Hage were advanced to scoring position and the pair scored on a single up the middle from Gargett.

Tristan Hunter was brought out of the bullpen to begin the ninth inning. Hunter recorded two outs but allowed a single and walked two, loading the bases. This led to yet another Kentucky pitching change; McCoy took the mound to record the final out after playing first base until that point.

McCoy retired the first batter he faced, ending the game and recording his third save of the season.

Kentucky returns to action on Thursday, May 15, for the first game of its final series of the season against Vanderbilt. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET, the game will be shown live on SEC Network +