Observations (2/28): Clutch pitching propels Kentucky to 3-0 win

After taking game one 3-1 against St. John's on the heels of dominant pitching, Kentucky kept it rolling on the mound in a 3-0 game two win for its first shutout of the 2026 season. The Wildcats improved to 8-2 on the year with the win.

Below are some observations that stuck out.

Bullpen dominates

Lefty Ben Cleaver got the start in game two and got two quick outs in the first before giving up two walks. The junior got out of the jam without allowing a run. The second was similar as he allowed two baserunners, but stranded them both. The third was also similar but the bases were loaded with two outs and Cleaver struck out Rob Mansour to end the inning and his outing. 

“Give Ben Cleaver a lot of credit," UK coach Nick Mingione said. "Didn't have his best stuff, and they had three chances to get him, and he got out of all three. You've seen a lot of guys bend and then break, and he bent, but he didn't break."

Junior reliever Connor Mattison took the hill in the fourth and gave up a leadoff double to Adam Agresti, who advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt. The junior buckled down and got a groundout along with a strikeout to strand the runner at third.

“It's the reason I came here,” Mattison said about pitching in big moments. “I love this team more than anything. I told the coaches when I got here, I want to do whatever it takes to win.”

He returned to the mound in the fifth with a 1-0 lead and worked around a single to toss another scoreless frame. Mattison followed that up with a three-up, three-down sixth. The righty was back on the mound for the seventh and was greeted with a leadoff single by Lewis Rodriguez.

A sacrifice bunt and flyout put Rodriguez on third with two outs and Mattison struck out Shaun McMillan to end the frame. The big-time strikeout electrified his teammates, along with fans at KPP. That strikeout finished his outing after four innings in which he gave up two hits, no runs and struck out five. 

“Yeah, I've said this over and over, but our guys are best when they just move on to the next thing super fast,” Mingione said about pitchers’ mentality in high-pressure moments. “When you do that, you're just in the moment, so the only thing that matters is that pitch, and you're not letting the other ones affect what's happened to you so you just keep moving on.”

Jackson Soucie took over for Mattison in the eighth with two more insurance runs and tossed two scoreless innings to nail down the series win. 

Caeden Cloud comes through in first career start

Mingione shuffled some of the lineup on Saturday and one of those moves included Tyler Cerny getting a day off at third due to a hamstring issue, according to Mingione. This allowed freshman Caeden Cloud to get his first career start at the hot corner.

“It's obviously exciting to finally get to see your name, and just be out here in front of all the fans, in front of your boys, just being able to do what you dream of,” Cloud said. “Obviously, there's some nerves in it too, but just trusting the preparation and the plan that the coaches have set forth, and all the work the guys and I put in."

At the plate, Cloud came through with an RBI double to add an insurance run in the seventh inning for his first career hit. He also had a couple of great plays at third base, topped off by snagging a line drive out of the air and firing it back to second for an inning-ending double play. 

“He is a really, really good player, as you guys know, you don't step in and make those types of plays as a freshman,” Mingione said. “So that was special to watch, a special player and special performance.”

Hudson Brown continues to deliver

First baseman Hudson Brown has been a staple of the offense in his sophomore season as he leads the team with a .417 batting average and is second in on-base percentage (.511). 

He delivered a huge swing with an RBI single in the fifth inning to break a 0-0 tie. That big swing not only pumped him up, but also helped his teammate on the mound in Mattison.

“I just felt like it kept the momentum in my favor, and I feel like once I get rolling, I am really hard to stop,” Mattison said. 

Brown finished his redshirt freshman season on a hot streak and has turned that into being a consistent force in the middle of the lineup for Kentucky. 

“His maturity, he just really cares. Like he really, really cares,” Mingione said. “It doesn't matter if it's a left-handed pitcher or right-handed pitcher, he just continues to give us good (at-bats) over and over, and the guys really respond to him, and it's been fun to watch.”

Kentucky will go for the sweep on Sunday at 1 pm.