UK wins NCAA regional game vs USC Upstate

Kentucky baseball remains alive for at least one more day.

The Wildcats eliminated USC Upstate from the NCAA Tournament on Saturday with a 7-3 victory at Doug Kingsmore Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina.

UK will face Clemson, the top seed in the region, or have a rematch against West Virginia on Sunday at 12 p.m.

Here are three takeaways from Kentucky’s win in the double-elimination regional.

The Wildcats were able to get on the board early in their second matchup of the Clemson Regional.

Junior Carson Hansen hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the first inning, which allowed Kentucky to jump out to a 3-0 lead.

UK pitcher Nic McCay started the game rolling. He struck out three batters through the first three innings, not allowing a hit in that span.

In the fourth inning, USC Upstate found its rhythm at the plate. It scored three runs on three hits and two batters walked. Preston Lucas hit a two-run RBI double to left center field to bring in the first runs for the Spartans.

The Wildcats were able to regain the lead in the bottom of the sixth after a sacrifice bunt by Patrick Herrera, which led to a James McCoy run.

The Wildcats will have to get their bats going if they want to stay alive in the tournament. They had one big inning where they scored three runs against West Virginia, but then they were shut out the rest of the game.

UK scored three runs early again on Saturday before adding a run in the sixth inning and three more in the eighth.

Against West Virginia or Clemson, the Wildcats will need to score with more consistency.

Redshirt junior James McCoy went 2 for 2 at the plate, extending his hit streak to eight games, which ties his career best.

McCoy has 22 hits on the season and 10 of them have come during his hit streak, including six of his 12 RBIs. He’s batting .310 for the season.

Entering the Clemson Regional, USC Upstate ranked second in the nation in scoring (9.7 runs per game) and was in the top 20 in home runs (99).

The Wildcats held the Spartans to three runs or fewer for just the 10th time this season.

Relief pitcher Ethan Walker was brought into the game in the fifth inning. He struck out seven batters and only allowed one hit.

Kentucky baseball will play the loser of Saturday’s second game between regional host (and No. 11 national seed) Clemson and West Virginia.

The Tigers are 45-16 this season, posting a 27-7 record in home games. They came back from a 2-0 deficit to defeat USC Upstate Friday in their first regional game.

West Virginia trailed 3-0 against the Wildcats and was able to erase the deficit, securing a walk-off win.

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Reach sports reporter Prince James Story at pstory@gannett.com and follow him on X at @PrinceJStory.