Waldschmidt hits two home runs to help Kentucky advance to another elimination game at SEC tourney

HOOVER, Ala. (AP) — Ryan Waldschmidt hit two home runs, Trey Pooser pitched five scoreless inning and second-seeded Kentucky beat No. 3 seed Arkansas 9-6 on Thursday in the third round of the SEC Tournament.

Kentucky (40-13) plays in another elimination game on Friday, while Arkansas (43-14) has been eliminated from the tournament.

Nick Lopez drove in two runs in the fifth inning to extend Kentucky’s lead to 6-0. But Arkansas answered in the sixth with four runs, highlighted by Peyton Holt’s three-run homer.

Waldschmidt hit a two-run homer in the seventh, to go along with a solo shot in the fifth, to give him 13 on the season. The Wildcats added another run in the seventh for a 9-4 lead on a sacrifice fly by Mitch Daly.

Holt also homered in the eighth for his sixth of the season, and Jared Sprague-Lott added a solo shot in the ninth for Arkansas.

Pooser (5-1), who only allowed three hits, got some help in the second inning when centerfielder Nolan McCarthy made a leaping catch at the wall to preserve a 2-0 lead.

Hagen Smith (9-1) lost his first game of the season after allowing two runs in two innings.

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