Walk-Off Home Run Leads Kentucky to First Program CWS Win

Omaha, Neb. – A tenth-inning walk-off solo home run from third baseman Mitchell Daly propelled the Kentucky Wildcats to a 5-4 win, their first program win in the College World Series, as gray skies lingered over the Omaha skyline.

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— Kentucky Baseball (@UKBaseball) June 15, 2024

 “It’s special just trying to play for each other. Just trying to do my part and get on base and happen to get one out of here, but you know it’s a full team through the entire time and watching these guys compete”, Daly told World Baseball Network.  

Kentucky’s first ever game in the CWS made history, as this became the first time in NCAA Division I CWS history that the first three games have ended in walk-offs.    

“Our dugout was awesome. They were, like, we’re winning this game. They were wanting to win. We’ve been in so many close games. We’ve just been in it, and we’re battle-tested,” Kentucky head coach Nick Mingione said during the post-game press conference on Saturday.  

The Wildcats got on the board first in the bottom of the first inning, when designated hitter Nick Lopez ripped an RBI single up the middle into center field, scoring second baseman Emilien Pitre for the first run of the game.  

During the top of the third inning, NC State tied the game up at one apiece, with catcher Jacob Cozart rocking an RBI single to right fielder, scoring first baseman Garrett Pennington to make it 1-1.  

Kentucky took the lead in the bottom of the fourth inning, with Nolan McCarthy drilling a two-run home run down the line into the left field bullpen, his eighth of the season, scoring first baseman Ryan Nicholson to take the lead at 3-1. 

NC State tied the game up in the top of the seventh inning when catcher Alex Makarewicz drove a two-run home run over the right-center field wall, his 23rd of the season, scoring right fielder Noah Soles to tie the game up at 3-3.  

In the top of the ninth inning, the Wolfpack offense threatened to take the lead, starting with a walk to first baseman Garrett Pennington. After being moved to third on a single by Jacob Cozart, Pennington scored their fourth run of the game on a wild pitch to take a 4-3 lead.   

In the bottom of the ninth inning, Kentucky fought back. First baseman Ryan Nicholson drilled a solo home run into the left field bullpen to tie the game up at 4-4.  

“When Ryan hit that home run I could barely hear myself even think. It was awesome. Just proud of our team, their fight, their competitiveness, their desire to win,” Mingione said during the post-game press conference.  

The Wolfpack offense went down in order 1-2-3 in the top of the tenth, setting up a dramatic bottom half of the frame.

Daly came up to the plate with no one on and two outs, looking to be the spark that led to the Wildcats’ first ever CWS win. After falling behind 1-2, he cracked a game-winning solo home run, his seventh of the year, traveling 371 feet as the Kentucky Wildcats dugout burst out to home plate to greet him for the 5-4 win over the NC State Wolfpack and avoiding the losers bracket.  

Missed opportunities will haunt the Wolfpack, as the NC State offense left 12 runners on base during Saturday’s loss.    

No. 2 Kentucky (46-14) will play on Monday, June 17 at 7 p.m. EST in the double-elimination round against No. 3 Texas A&M with their record at 49-13.  

No. 10 North Carolina State (38-22) will play (34-28) Florida on Monday, June 17 at 2 p.m. EST in the elimination round.  

No. 4 North Carolina (46-15) will play at 7 p.m. EST on Sunday, June 16, against No. 1 Tennessee (56-12) in the double-elimination round.   

No. 12 Virginia (48-14) is on the brink of elimination and will play on Sunday, June 16, against No. 8 Florida State University (47-16) at 2 p.m. EST.  

All of the 2024 NCAA Division I CWS games will be televised on the ESPN networks.

Photo Courtesy of Courier Journal