Jaxon Jelkin complete game leads Kentucky to 4-2 upset over ranked Florida

Kentucky snatched defeat from the jaws of victory on Friday night after the Bat Cats blew a 6-1 lead in the eighth inning. UK found itself in a similar position on Saturday night after a four-hour weather delay.

There would be no blown leads because Kentucky’s ace went the distance.

There was some early offense, another big fly by a true freshman, and one more dominant start from Jaxon Jelkin in a 4-2 road victory. That allowed Kentucky to even this series and add another Quad 1 win to the resume. This team still has not been swept in the SEC play. Another rubber match game is on deck.

Kentucky got off the mat once again this season on Saturday night. Their star ace was the No. 1 reason why.

BOX SCORE: Kentucky 4, No. 21 Florida 2

Jaxon Jelkin throws another complete game

Kentucky’s run-rule victory over ranked Tennessee last Saturday did not need a call to the bullpen. Jaxon Jelkin threw eight innings as he recorded his first complete game of the season. We did not have to wait long for his second complete game.

Jelkin went the distance in Gainesville on Saturday night. The right-handed pitcher logged nine innings, allowed seven hits, two earned runs, and record 12 strikeouts with just two free passes. Kentucky’s ace needed 128 pitches to get through the outing, but Nick Mingione rolled the dice in the final inning after UK was burned by a bullpen collapse on Friday. The Cats were rewarded for that move when Jelkin found a bases loaded infield pop up to end the game.

Kentucky’s best performances of the season have occurred when Jelkin is on the mound. Another was delivered on Saturday. UK can go toe-for-toe with anyone in college baseball when No. 0 has the ball. His latest performance was as good as it gets in a huge spot for his team.

Kentucky’s offense strikes quickly

Kentucky used an early start to build a lead on Friday. That didn’t result in a win but it did give the Bat Cats a great shot in the late innings. A similar blueprint was used on Saturday at Condron Ballpark.

Three consecutive hits by Jayce Tharnish (single), Tyler Bell (double), and Luke Lawrence (2 RBI singled) allowed Kentucky to take an early 2-0 lead. All of the runs on Saturday were scored before the sixth inning. A Lawrence single, Ethan Hindle walk, Braxton Van Cleave ground ball out would add another run in the fourth. Caeden Cloud would then give UK a 4-0 lead in the fifth with a solo blast.

☁️!@caedencloud2025 to the berm! #BuzzCats after dark! pic.twitter.com/4Bd9O1T7Tu

— Kentucky Baseball (@UKBaseball) May 10, 2026

The true freshman continues to produce for this offense and that run was needed. Kentucky did not have its most explosive night on offense, but the Cats struck early and allowed Jaxon Jelkin to pitch from ahead. That gave the road team an advantage in this matchup.

Luke Lawrence produced one of the plays of the season

There are other players on the Kentucky roster with higher top-end talent and draft potential, but no one has been more consistent than Luke Lawrence this season. The Kentucky infielder has been Mr. Reliable all year and he showed up again on Saturday. Lawrence’s early hits led to runs and this tremendous play in the eighth inning prevented a run.

ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME, @LukeL1019??!!!!!

Saves a run and ends the inning. Unbelievable play, also @EHindle_27 hustling back to the bag.

E7 | UK 4, FLA 1#SCTop10 #D1Top10 #BuzzCats pic.twitter.com/UiyTbhy6Kr

— Kentucky Baseball (@UKBaseball) May 10, 2026

Kentucky might not win if this play isn’t made. It came just one at-bat after Lawrence let a scorched grounder go through his legs. After late inning mistakes were magnified in the eighth inning on Friday, UK bounced-back and didn’t let them beat them on Saturday.

Does ESPN still do web gems? This was a web gem.

On Deck

Nate Harris (4-2, 5.08 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 39 IP, 36 K) is scheduled to get the ball on Sunday. The Kentucky righty has not pitched since a 5-4 win over Auburn on April 11. Harris has missed three consecutive starts with a shoulder injury but is now ready to go. The game has been moved up to 10 a.m. ET with inclement weather expected in the forecast again.

Breakfast baseball on Mother’s Day will be played. Kentucky (30-17, 12-14) will look to end its long rubber match losing streak.

Date	Opponent	Venue	Time	TV
May 10 (Sunday)	Florida	Condron Ballpark	10 a.m. ET	SEC Network