No. 12 national seed Kentucky staves off NCAA Tournament elimination with shutout win over West Virginia

The Kentucky Wildcats are still alive in the NCAA Tournament. After a heartbreaking loss to Indiana on Saturday, the Wildcats bounced back to blank West Virginia in Sunday’s elimination game.

Kentucky put runs on the board in 6 of the 8 innings it came to the plate. Devin Burkes and Nolan McCarthy led the way at the plate with 3 RBIs each. McCarthy was the only Cat to leave the yard, hitting a 2-run homer in the 4th inning.

Austin Strickland was the game’s winning pitcher, tossing 6 scoreless innings. Magdiel Cotto and James McCoy oversaw the final 3 frames, preserving the shutout.

Needing two victories today to extend its season, UK now is halfway there. pic.twitter.com/CLnBo4a5eE

— Kentucky Baseball (@UKBaseball) June 4, 2023

UK needs another Sunday win to stay alive. The Cats will face Indiana in the regional final Sunday. If Indiana wins, the Lexington Regional is over. If Kentucky wins, the teams will play a decisive game on Monday.

Updated #LexingtonRegional bracket. Tonight’s game will stream on ESPN+. pic.twitter.com/410q3FLh3x

— Kentucky Baseball (@UKBaseball) June 4, 2023

Andrew Olson

Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.