Kentucky's first three-game sweep of LSU since 1991 was anything but routine.
The Wildcats came from behind Sunday to knock off the Tigers 6-4, thanks to Marcus Nidiffer's eighth-inning grand slam at rain-swept Cliff Hagan Stadium.
Both teams finished with seven hits, but UK pitchers issued 12 walks and hit a pair of batters. LSU left 16 runners on base.
"I just told the club I don't think I've ever been a part of as bad a pitching performance and as good of a pitching performance in one game," UK Coach Gary Henderson said. "As sloppy as we were on the front end of it, and then for us to leave (12) guys on in the first five innings, I mean, we got out of several jams."
A sweep of the defending NCAA champs put UK back into the Southeastern Conference Tournament picture.
With the top eight teams qualifying for the tourney, UK vaulted from 10th place on Friday and into a four-way tie for seventh Sunday with Alabama, LSU and Tennessee. The Cats (29-23, 12-15 SEC) finish league play with games at last-place Georgia on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Kentucky has won five in a row against ranked teams.
"What we've done is put ourself into a position where we can control what happens to us, and that's really good," Henderson said. "It's great. I'm proud of them. I'd like to thank the (2,061) fans who hung around."
No. 20 LSU (34-18, 12-15) has lost 12 of 14 games.
In the eighth, teammates Taylor Black and Keenan Wiley each told Nidiffer in the dugout that he was about to take his final home at-bat.
"I was like, 'well, I'm going to make it worthwhile,' and I got up there, ended up the bases were loaded," Nidiffer said. "I said, 'well, this is it. ... I'm going to be the one to do it.' Got a pitch to hit, 3-2. It was kind of nerve-wracking, and I just turned on it and it ended up carrying out."
Then, just like Friday's game when Lance Ray hit a walkoff three-run homer, Nidiffer got a shaving-cream pie in the face from Luke Maile.
"I'll take a pie every time if that's what it takes," Nidiffer said.
UK starter Alex Meyer lasted only an inning-plus. LSU packaged three walks and a pair of singles for two runs in the first.
Matt Gaudet added a two-run homer off of Matt Little in the third.
Meanwhile, LSU right-hander Austin Ross held UK to two runs on five hits through seven innings.
Nidiffer walked and eventually scored in the second.
Braden Kapteyn, who totaled three hits, and Keenan Wiley hit back-to-back doubles for a run in the fourth.
Nick Kennedy and Mike Kaczmarek kept UK close, combining on 41⁄3 shutout relief innings. Logan Darnell (5-3) came on with one out in the eighth and finished.
Darnell, who had missed two weeks due to shoulder tendinitis, said he "felt great" after his first relief outing of the season. He was asked what this latest come-from-behind win says about the Cats.
"What it says is we're relentless," Darnell said. "We're down a couple runs but our bats bring us back, and then we just play good defense and we get ourselves right back into it."
In the eighth, UK put the first two batters on with an error and a walk.
After LSU Coach Paul Mainieri summoned Paul Bertuccini from the bullpen, Gunner Glad bunted the runners to second and third.
Zach LaSuzzo replaced Bertuccini. His first pitch plunked Ray to fill the bases.
So Mainieri called on Matty Ott, who came into the weekend leading the SEC in saves (11). UK had roughed up Ott for four ninth-inning runs in Friday's 11-9 victory.
With the count full, Nidiffer fouled off a pitch. He ripped the next one over the wall in left, his 10th homer of the season.
"He's going to be remembered forever for that," Henderson said. "He'll be 45 years old and telling his Little League team about that grand slam he hit against LSU to complete the sweep."
