Pair of hits for Pitre as Kentucky beats Western Michigan
ABC alum 2B Emilien Pitre (Repentigny Que.) had two hits in Kentucky’s first-round win. Photo: Kentucky Athletics
May 31, 2024
Hogan’s Alley: Kentucky Staves Off Upset Bid Behind Robert Hogan, Offense ... Wildcats defeat Western Michigan 10-8, face winner of Illinois/Indiana State next
By Matt May
Kentucky Athletics
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Whatever you say about the 2024 Kentucky Wildcats don’t say the are boring.
The Wildcats (41-14) raced out to an 8-0 lead, saw most of its edge wiped out in a flurry of infield hits and weak contact then stabilized behind pitcher Robert Hogan’s 3 1/3 scoreless innings, including leaving the bases loaded to end the game, as Kentucky edged Western Michigan 10-8 in the opener of the Lexington Regional in front of 5,861 fans at Kentucky Proud Park.
UK now will face the winner of Illinois and Indiana State at 6 p.m. on Saturday night.
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Hogan and the Cats bent but refused to break. The junior from Minnesota closed the door with gutsy relief work to earn his first save in blue. Much like Hogan, reliever Cameron O’Brien also extricated the Cats from a dicey situation in minimal fashion as the team made an early lead hold up.
UK scored in each of the first five innings, including a four spot in the fourth. James McCoy lined a two-run home run inside the right field foul pole and later delivered an RBI double to lead an attack that saw seven players drive in a run, three steal a base, four deliver sacrifices and three draw a hit batter.
NOTES
-Kentucky now is 41-14 in 2024, 25-11 in day games, 35-2 this season when scoring at least six runs and 8-5 in May.
-Kentucky scored four in the third inning, the 70th time this season it has scored three or more in an inning.
-UK coach Nick Mingione is in his eighth season at the helm and now owns a 257-164 career record. He needs two victories to become the second-winningest coach in school history.
-UK is 9-6 in the NCAA Tournament under Mingione, 9-2 in NCAA Regional action.
-Junior Ryan Waldschmidt stole his 24th base this season to tie for the team lead.
-Junior Emilien Pitre (Repentigny Que.) extended his streak of games reaching base safely to 32. He had two hits to give him 22 multi-hit games this season and 40 career.
-Graduate Nick Lopez hit his 21st double of the season is the third-most in the Mingione era.
-Redshirt sophomore James McCoy went 2-for-3 with two runs, three RBI, a double, a home run (his sixth of the season) was hit by a pitch and now has eight multi-hit and seven multi-RBI games this season.
-Redshirt Junior Devin Burkes went 2-for-3 with two runs, a double and a stolen base giving him 12 multi-hit games this season and 32 career.
-Junior Robert Hogan threw 3 1/3 scoreless, allowing two hits and striking out a pair, earning his first save in blue.