How Nolan McCarthy made the game-winning run to push Kentucky into the College World Series

All the Kentucky Wildcats needed to do was win on Sunday night and they would advance to the College World Series for the first time ever, and that is what they did.

The game was tied 2-2 in the seventh inning against Oregon State when Nolan McCarthy came up to bat and belted a double. James McCoy then went up to bat, but after a failed sacrifice bunt to move McCarthy over another base, it led to Grant Smith batting next.

Smith went down 0-2 in the count, but due to a dropped third strike where Oregon State’s catcher did not successfully catch the ball, it led to McCarthy going all the way from second back to home to score the game-winning run. He was able to score was that Oregon State’s pitcher, Nelson Keljo, was not covering home plate.

That’s when McCarthy took off into Kentucky lore forever.

“I was on second. Coach Minge (Mingione) was telling me to be balanced on my skips. Don’t want to give that pitcher anything like that,” said McCarthy after the win. “It’s a big run. I saw it squeak by.

“I was running to third, and I immediately saw their pitcher wasn’t covering. I think I ran through a stop sign, but it ended up working out. No one was covering home, so might as well take what they’re going to give you.”

That would prove to be the deciding run, as Kentucky would on for the 3-2 victory and will now play in the program’s first trip to Omaha.

Head coach Nick Mingione was actually telling McCarthy to stop but was happy to see his player not be afraid to make the biggest play in the biggest moment.

“Nolan is the guy that wants to make the special play. I was telling him to stop verbally, okay, not physically,” said Mingione “But the game was in front of him, and I’m happy he went because he saw something. And we allow our players to make decisions on their own. I’m glad he went. He did the Superman dive. He was going to do something that it was going to be, like, it was a Nolan McCarthy moment. You know what I mean?

“I was telling him to stop, but I actually had my back…it was actually roles reversed; I saw the catcher catch it, I didn’t see the pitcher, but he (McCarthy) did. I thought it was a great play.”

Before the game, McCarthy was saying he would do the Pete Rose slide to his teammates, and that is what he did.

“I told Robert (Hogan) I was going to Pete Rose dive today, and it ended up happening,” McCarthy said.

McCarthy actually got a bit dinged up from the run and had to take himself out of the game for the final two innings.

“I give him (McCarthy) a lot of credit, too, because he kind of tweaked his hamstring on that, and he basically, during the pitching change, he said, ‘Coach, I’m getting tight; I can’t make a play,’” said Mingione.

“He took himself out, which is really smart and unselfish. He’s, like, I can’t make the plays that the game’s going to demand. I was like, okay, you want to come out. He was like, yes, I do. Ty Crittenberger was ready. He’s always ready. He was prepared for the moment and always ready. He was honest with that I was proud of him for that.”

After a memorable night at Kentucky Proud Park, the Cats now look to keep their magical season alive with a run in Omaha.