Through five innings Tuesday, Kentucky baseball was in cruise control. It owned a 4-1 lead over Vanderbilt in a first-round SEC Tournament matchup. At that point, the Wildcats had allowed just three hits.
But UK hit a speed bump in the sixth frame.
And the Cats never got their metaphorical car back on the road and pointed in the right direction.
The Commodores scored four runs (on four hits) in the bottom of the sixth to go up 5-4. And they added three more in the eighth, giving them seven unanswered runs and ultimately handing the Wildcats an 8-5 defeat at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama.
“Love the start we got off to. Give our guys a lot of credit to jump off to a good lead,” UK coach Nick Mingione said after the three-run loss. “And then tip your cap to Vanderbilt. They had some good swings. They put some good balls in play. … We didn’t necessarily make the pitch or the play and that’s the difference in the game.”
It’s the second straight season Kentucky (31-21) entered the conference tournament as the 13-seed. And it’s the second straight season UK went one-and-done in the event at the hands of the 12-seed. Last year, Oklahoma earned a 5-1 win over Kentucky. That setback to the Sooners didn’t hurt the Wildcats much, though, as they were all but locked into the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
Kentucky has far more to worry about this season.
Even before its loss to Vandy (33-24), UK was viewed as a possible bubble team.
Now, pending results for the remainder of the SEC Tournament — as well as other league tournaments around the country this week — it’s far from a guarantee Kentucky will be in the NCAA field when the 64-team bracket is released May 25.
Don’t tell that to Mingione, though.
“We beat the best teams, if you look at our résumé,” he said. “In order to be considered one of the best teams, you have to beat them. There’s all kinds of numbers. I can spit them out.”
Which he proceeded to do.
“We’re five plays away from 18 SEC wins. … We had five one-run losses. We’re right there,” Mingione said. “We’re 5-4 against the No. 1 projected seeds in the country.
“We have the 10th-most wins against the top 30 RPI (teams) in the country — 10.”
Then, he rested his case.
“We’ve beat the best teams,” Mingione said. “Therefore, we’re one of the best teams.”
The counterargument: UK only won two of its 10 SEC series this season.
“That’s a fact,” Mingione said. “So when you look at the losses, then you also have to look at the wins. We have really good wins. “There’s only three teams in the conference that beat every conference opponent on their schedule: Georgia, Texas A&M and us.
“That’s pretty good company.”
Mingione and the rest of the Wildcats now must wait until May 25 to see if the tournament selection committee agrees.
“This is a bright committee,” he said, “and we just trust them to do the right thing.”
Vandy added some insurance in the eighth, with Brodie Johnston launching a two-run homer and Rustan Ridgon scoring on a throwing error.
No baserunners for the Cats in the eighth.
They’re down to their last three outs as they attempt to tie the game or retake the lead.
No damage done for Vandy in the seventh frame.
Kentucky trails by a run going into the eighth inning.
Nothing doing for UK in the top of the seventh.
All the momentum in the ‘Dores dugout now.
A rough inning for UK — and a great one for Vandy.
Kentucky starting pitcher Jaxon Jelkin got to two outs … then allowed a walk and four straight singles. He left the game after that, replaced by Jack Sams.
By the time the inning ended, the score went from 4-1 in the Wildcats’ favor to a 5-4 advantage for the Commodores.
Three up, three down for the Bat Cats in the top of the sixth.
Not much doing for Vandy in the fifth: Its lone baserunner reached after being hit by a pitch.
The inning ended as Kentucky turned a 6-4-3 double play.
Luke Lawrence kept fighting with two outs, eventually doubling to left center. That scored Caeden Cloud to push UK’s lead to three.
It also brought on a pitching change for Vandy: Alex Kranzler replaced starter Connor Fennell.
The Commodores logged a walk and a single in the bottom of the fourth. But they weren’t able to advance the runners. They ended the frame with two men left on base.
With two outs, Carson Hansen lifted a homer to the opposite field. Owen Jenkins followed with a single, but he ended the inning after being picked off at first base.
Vandy notched its its first run of the day via Brodie Johnston’s RBI single bringing home Colin Barczi.
The Wildcats got back on the board in the third, as star shortstop Tyler Bell hit a solo home run to right field. That was UK’s sole run in the inning.
The Commodores went down in order in the bottom of the second.
Carson Hansen singled and stole second for the Cats.
But the other three Kentucky players who went to the plate in the second failed to reach base.
Though Vandy reached base via a walk, it couldn’t do anything with it.
The inning ended on a successful challenge by Kentucky, with a runner thrown out at second base.
UK wasted no time generating offense, scoring a run in the top of the first frame.
Luke Lawrence doubled to bring home Tyler Bell.
First pitch for Kentucky and Vanderbilt will arrive at approximately 3 p.m. ET Tuesday, May 19. It is the second game of the day.
In the tournament’s opening game, 16th-seed Missouri earned a 10-8 win over the eighth seed, Ole Miss.
Kentucky’s SEC Tournament game vs. Vanderbilt will air on SEC Network.
Streaming options include Fubo, which offers a free trial.
First pitch for Kentucky and Vanderbilt was scheduled for approximately 3 p.m. ET on Tuesday, May 19. It is the second game of the day.
In Tuesday’s first contest, which started at 10:30 a.m. ET, 16-seed Missouri pulled off a 10-8 upset of ninth-seeded Ole Miss in a game that took nearly four hours to complete. The UK/Vandy matchup was slated to begin roughly half an hour after the conclusion of the Ole Miss/Mizzou tilt.
Kentucky went 31-20 during the 2026 regular season, finishing 13-17 in SEC play.
Click here to see the Wildcats’ full 2026 schedule.
Vanderbilt posted a 32-24 record during the 2026 regular season, going 14-16 in conference play.
Click here to see the Commodores’ full 2026 schedule.
Here’s a look at the SEC Tournament seeds heading into this year’s event (conference records in parentheses):
SEC Network will air every game of the conference tournament through the semifinals. The tournament championship contest will air nationally on ABC.
Streaming options include the ESPN app (for authenticated subscribers) as well as Fubo, which offers a free trial to new subscribers.
All games will be played at Hoover Met Stadium in Hoover, Alabama. All times Eastern.
Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.
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