If Morgantown felt electric Friday night, Saturday brought even more drama.
Kentucky survived a furious West Virginia comeback and used a three-run eighth inning to defeat the Mountaineers 11-9 in a back-and-forth winner’s bracket showdown Saturday night at Kendrick Family Ballpark.
The Wildcats jumped out to an early 6-0 lead and chased Big 12 Pitcher of the Year Maxx Yehl before the end of the first inning. West Virginia battled back to erase the deficit and tie the game by the fifth, but Kentucky’s pitching depth and timely hitting ultimately proved to be the difference.
Yehl lasted just two-thirds of an inning, allowing four runs in an uncharacteristically short outing. Ian Korn entered in relief and helped settle things down, but Kentucky’s offense continued to produce. Ethan Hindle drove in two runs in the opening frame before scoring on a towering Braxton Van Cleave home run to right field. Luke Lawrence added an RBI double in the second inning, and Hindle knocked in another run as the Wildcats built a six-run advantage through two innings.
West Virginia finally found its footing in the third when Gavin Kelly launched a two-run home run to cut into the deficit. The Mountaineers continued to chip away in the fourth as Tyris Hall delivered an RBI double before coming around to score later in the inning. Two hit batters with the bases loaded plated another run, trimming Kentucky’s lead to 6-5.
The comeback was completed in the fifth. Armani Guzman drew a leadoff walk and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. After stealing third base, Guzman scored on the throw to tie the game at six and erase what once looked like a comfortable Kentucky lead.
Neither team was finished.
The Wildcats and Mountaineers traded blows over the next several innings, each scoring twice to remain deadlocked heading into the eighth. With a trip to the regional championship game on the line, Kentucky delivered the decisive punch. The Wildcats loaded the bases twice in the inning and pushed three runs across to take an 11-8 lead.
West Virginia threatened one final time in the ninth, scoring a run and bringing the pressure to Kentucky’s bullpen. The Wildcats bent but did not break, recording the final outs to secure the victory and remain unbeaten in the regional.
Kentucky improved to 2-0 and advanced to Sunday’s regional championship game. West Virginia fell into the elimination bracket and will face Wake Forest on Sunday afternoon with its season on the line.
