Kentucky annihilates rival Louisville in statement win

Kentucky bolsters its NCAA Tournament resume with a beatdown of the

In front of a packed Kentucky Proud Park, the Kentucky Wildcats crushed the No. 19 Louisville Cardinals 17-5 in a win Tuesday night, continuing their late-season surge and improving to 23-15.

The Wildcats jumped ahead early and never looked back. Patrick Herrera led the offensive explosion, going 3-for-3 with five RBIs, including a home run, triple, and RBI single. He was just a double shy of the cycle before being subbed out in the sixth inning.

Kentucky capitalized on Louisville’s defensive struggles and wild pitching, including a key moment in the second inning when a fly ball lost in the sun turned into a bases-clearing triple for Herrera. The Wildcats added four runs in both the third and fourth innings, highlighted by Herrera’s solo shot in the fourth.

Louisville tried to chip away with three runs in the fifth, but Kentucky immediately answered with a seven-run bottom half, capped by Carson Hansen’s two-run blast and RBI singles from Tyler Bell and Kyuss Gargett.

On the mound, Ethan Walker turned in his best start of the year, allowing two runs and striking out six over four innings. Kentucky’s bullpen closed out the final three frames with minimal damage to ensure the seven-inning run-rule win.

The Wildcats now hold a 28-27 edge over Louisville in the modern era and improved to 16-12 against the Cardinals at home.

Kentucky returns to SEC play this weekend, hosting South Carolina for a pivotal three-game series. First pitch is set for Friday at 6:30 p.m. ET.

Go Cats!