Kentucky baseball made it to the College World Series for the first time ever this season. They faced North Carolina State in their first game, and would need more than nine innings to decide it. In a post-season where the Cats have already had magical moments, Mitchell Daly added one more.
As has been the case several times, Kentucky got on the board early with a Nick Lopez RBI single in the first inning. Nolan McCarthy hit a two-run homer in the fourth to make it 3 – 1, but the Wolfpack answered with a blast of their own.
In the ninth, NC State took a 4 – 3 lead on a wild pitch, setting the stage for some drama. Ryan Nicholson has been a hero for Kentucky multiple times, and he did it again in the bottom of the ninth, with a solo shot to send it to extra innings.
Related: Outfielder Jackson Strong transferring to Kentucky
In the tenth, it was Mitchell Daly’s turn. With two outs, and nobody on base, he got a pitch he liked and smoked it to deep left-center field, leaving the yard for a walkoff homerun. He gave the Wildcats a 5 – 4 win.
Nicholson was 3-for-4 on the day with the game-tying homer. McCarthy and Daly had two hits, and both also hit homeruns.
On the mound, Trey Pooser was solid, going 6.2 innings with three runs given up. The bullpen gave up just one run the rest of the way.
Kentucky will get a day off to enjoy the dramatic victory, then will face either Florida or Texas A&M on Monday. The time will be announced later.