Kentucky needed just three outs to reach another Super Regional. Leading 9-6 in the ninth inning, top-seeded West Virginia rallied to score five runs and knock off the Wildcats 11-9 to force a Game 7 of the Morgantown Regional.
The Mountaineers loaded the bases with no outs in the ninth inning following an error by third baseman Caeden Cloud, a walk and a single. Nile Adcock, who had delivered a sensational relief outing up to that point, was replaced by left-hander Jackson Soucie. Soucie walked leadoff hitter Armani Guzman to make it 9-7. Soucie was then replaced by seldom-used redshirt sophomore Oliver Boone. Boone got West Virginia star Gavin Kelly to hit a sac fly for the first out and move runners to the corners in a one-run game. But Boone, who was likely in at that point in search of a double play, balked when attempting a pickoff to first base. The balk tied the game, and then No. 3 hitter Paul Schoenfield launched a two-run homer to put West Virginia in front.
Kentucky got a two-out hit from Owen Jenkins in the bottom of the ninth, but Jayce Tharnish flew out to center field to end it.
Star shortstop Tyler Bell rose to the occasion in the regional final, homering twice to bolster a Kentucky offense that racked up 12 hits for a second consecutive night. Tharnish also hit a solo homer in the seventh inning to help give some breathing room. Bell's second homer came right after Tharnish's home run, but it wasn't enough.
It was a marathon of a college baseball game. The first inning lasted over 40 minutes and featured five combined runs but only two hits. Kentucky starter Ben Cleaver walked three batters and hit two more, ending his day after recording just one out. West Virginia was in position for a big inning after plating two against Cleaver, but Ira Austin allowed just one run to keep it a 3-0 lead.
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Kentucky answered with two runs in the bottom of the frame, thanks in part to shoddy West Virginia defense. Tharnish and Bell reached on throwing errors to start a rally. A bases-loaded walk to Ethan Hindle brought the first run home. Braxton Van Cleave singled to left field to bring home the second run. West Virginia starter David Hagen buckled down and struck out Carson Hansen and Cloud to keep it a 3-2 game.
The Wildcats made it a brand new game in the second inning. Tharnish doubled with one out and advanced to third on a groundout by Bell. An infield single from Luke Lawrence brought Tharnish home to make it 3-3.
The game didn't stay tied for long. West Virginia answered with three more runs in the top of the third, but once again had a chance to cash in on more. Chase Alderman replaced Tommy Skelding with two outs and got a one-pitch groundout to strand the bases loaded. West Virginia had stranded seven runners through three innings at that point.
Alderman, a redshirt sophomore from Morehead, Kentucky, gave the Wildcats a needed boost out of the bullpen. He worked 2.1 innings of scoreless relief with two strikeouts before running into trouble in the sixth inning. After a leadoff double and a walk, Mingione went to Adcock to try to get out of the inning. Adcock got the first out on a sac bunt. Following a walk, Adcock struck out back-to-back hitters to strand the bases loaded.
Adcock struck out five batters over three innings. Only two of his allowed runs were earned.
West Virginia got a stellar relief outing from left-hander Ben McDougal. Outside of the back-to-back homers, McDougal kept the Kentucky offense in check. He allowed just three hits and struck out six over five innings.
It is the second consecutive season that a late West Virginia rally stunned Kentucky. Last year in the Clemson Regional, the Mountaineers scored six runs in the bottom of the eighth to take a 13-12 lead. It held on for the win in the ninth inning.
