Kentucky wins Lexington Regional for second consecutive season

No. 1 seed Kentucky defeated No. 3 seed Indiana State 5-0 Sunday night to win the Lexington Regional for the second consecutive season. It is the first time in program history the Cats have won a Regional in just three games and marks the third Lexington Regional Championship in Kentucky program history (2017, 2023, 2024).

Right-hander Mason Moore made the start for Kentucky and continued to grow his postseason legacy. He pitched six innings, allowing just four hits and no earned runs while striking out six batters.

In three career games in the Lexington Regional (Ball State and Indiana in 2023, Indiana State in 2024), Moore has pitched 16 shutout innings with 13 strikeouts.

“I’m grateful that Coach Minge and the staff have put their faith in me to go out there and win us a game,” Moore said postgame. “And being from the home state, I just want to go out there, give my best effort and give our team the best chance to win.”

With the win, Kentucky has clinched its first home Super Regional in program history. The Cats will host the winner of the Corvallis Regional, which will be either No. 1 seed Oregon State or No. seed 2 UC-Irvine, next week. The winner will head to the College World Series, a feat that Kentucky has never accomplished.

Super Regional tickets will go on sale Monday.

Players of the Game:

• RHP Mason Moore: Moore pitched six shutout innings with six strikeouts, continuing to add to his postseason legacy at Kentucky.
• 2B Émilien Pitre: Pitre’s seventh inning two-run home run put the nail in the Indiana State coffin.
• 1B Ryan Nicholson: Nicholson’s solo home run in the second inning gave the Cats a two-run lead and his 20th home run of the season.

Cats scratch across first runs early

As Kentucky was the away team due to the stupid NCAA rule, the Cats hit first. They took advantage of this, putting across a run to open the game.

After Ryan Waldschmidt was robbed of a leadoff double due to a diving grab by ISU’s Adam Pottinger in center field, Émilien Pitre drew a walk. Pitre then nabbed third on an errant pickoff attempt by Sycamore starting pitcher Cole Gilley, putting a runner 90 feet away from home with just one out.

Devin Burkes came through for the Cats, lifting an RBI sac-fly down the first base line. Pitre slid in safe at home for the score to give Kentucky a 1-0 lead.

Kentucky starting right-hander Mason Moore held the Sycamores scoreless in the first, aided by a SportsCenter Top 10 worthy double play by two-time All-SEC Defensive snub Grant Smith.

This brought Kentucky back up to bat with a chance to pad its lead, which it did.

After a Mitch Daly strikeout to lead off the inning, Ryan Nicholson stepped up to bat. Nicholson homered in Saturday’s 6-1 win over Illinois, bringing his season home run total to 19. He added one more to that total in the second, as he belted a no-doubt 435 foot solo home run over the right field fence to extend Kentucky’s lead to two.

Nicholson has now hit 20 home runs this season, which is the most in a season by a Kentucky player in the Nick Mingione era. He was named the Lexington Regional Most Outstanding Player postgame.

Kentucky gifted free run in the third

The third inning looked unremarkable for the Cats, as Pitre and Burkes went down in order to open the frame. However, back-to-back two-out singles from Nick Lopez and Mitch Daly kept the inning alive.

Needing to capitalize on the opportunity, Ryan Nicholson drew a walk to load the bases. Kentucky’s next batter Nolan McCarthy was then plunked on the next pitch, allowing Lopez to trot home easily from third.

James McCoy had a chance to really open things up and continue to add to his big weekend, but struck out on a 3-2 count to end the half inning.

Mason Moore continues to dominate postseason

Kentucky’s starter right-hander Mason Moore made his name known in the 2023 Lexington Regional.

In 10 innings pitched, Moore did not allow a single run while striking out seven batters. He made his 16th and biggest start of the season on Sunday night and continued his postseason success.

He kept the Sycamores at bay through four innings, allowing just four hits and no outs. He however ran into his first bit of trouble in the fifth, where he opened the inning with back-to-back walks. The lead runner then snagged third on a passed ball, putting runners on the corners with just one out.

Looking for the first Indiana State run of the game, left fielder Parker Stinson lofted a softly hit pop-up to no man’s land in left field. At least, it should have been no man’s land.

Grant Smith made his second unbelievable play of the game, as he tracked the pop-up all the way in left and made a diving grab to rob Stinson of the RBI-single. The runner on third failed to tag up, and the Sycamores ended up going scoreless in the fifth.

Grant Smith makes one of the most unbelievable grabs you’ll EVER see.

Unreal.
pic.twitter.com/78IEglr9Lc

— Daniel Hager (@DanielHagerKSR) June 3, 2024

Smith failed to make the SEC All-Defense team in both 2023 and 2024. You think he has a chip on his shoulder?

“That was pretty good,” Smith said about his play postgame. “I don’t know where I would rank it, definitely top two or three probably. Just a crazy play. I honestly don’t even remember. I kind of blacked out. I thought me and Waldy were going to collide, so I’m grateful that didn’t happen, and just the feel he had to see me go after the ball. But yeah, good play.”

Moore went back in the sixth inning and shut the Sycamores down in order, ending his day with a bang. He went six innings, allowing just four hits and no earned runs while striking out six batters.

Petey bomb gives Cats comfortable lead

Heading into the seventh inning, Kentucky had been held scoreless since the third. Clinging onto just a three-run lead, Émilien Pitre gave Nick Mingione’s squad some insurance via the long ball.

Grant Smith continued his big game by opening the inning with a leadoff single, bringing Pitre up to bat with one out.

Pitre jumped on a 2-2 pitch and belted a two-run home run to left field, his ninth of the season to extend Kentucky’s lead to five.

“I had two strikes,” Pitre said postgame. “With two strikes we have a team approach — backing up the ball. And that’s what I did. And fortunately I hit the ball hard enough for it to go over the fence.”

If it hadn’t already, Kentucky Proud Park could feel a major win on the horizon.

Kentucky takes Lexington Regional

The Cats failed to score a run over the final two innings, but the bullpen showed up in a major way.

Left-hander Jackson Nove and right-hander Cam O’Brien finished out the final three innings, allowing just one hit and no earned runs while striking out five batters.

O’Brien returned to the mound in the ninth and sat the Sycamores down in order to finish off the win. The right-hander, who has been dubbed “The Fireman”, struck out five of his nine batters faced.

“My heart is just filled with gratitude for Mitch Barnhart and Tim Bernal and our administration, all the way down to our coaches, our staff, our players and the Big Blue Nation,” Nick Mingione said postgame. “Just proud of them. Proud of them. To win three of these in seven seasons, after having zero in, I don’t know, a hundred and how many years, I’m just so thankful for past players, coaches, staff and everybody. This one’s for you, Big Blue Nation. Thank you.”

Sunday’s game marked the first game all season and the first time in 138 games that Indiana State failed to score a single run.

Victory and Lexington Regional, Cayts.

What’s next for Kentucky?

Kentucky will host Oregon State or UC-Irvine in next week’s Lexington Super Regional. Dates and times will be revealed at a later date.