LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Devin Burkes homered, Emilien Pitre hit a two-run single in the eighth inning and No. 12 overall seed Kentucky beat Ball State 4-0 on Friday in the Lexington Regional.
It was Kentucky’s first shutout in an NCAA Tournament game since a 2-0 win over Mississippi State in the 1949 NCAA District III Tournament.
Kentucky (37-18), which is hosting an NCAA baseball regional for just the third time in school history, advances to the winners’ bracket. Ball State (36-22) plays in a consolation game on Saturday.
Redshirt freshman Travis Smith got into the fifth inning, allowing no runs and just three hits and sophomore reliever Mason Moore pitched five perfect innings for his third win of the season.
Ball State had runners on second and third with just one out in the first inning, but Smith induced a line out and finished the frame with a strikeout to get out of trouble.
___
AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
Copyright © 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
