GRANVILLE, W.Va. (Interstat) — Jaxon Jelkin pitched six innings of no-hit ball but the Kentucky Wildcats needed a wild pitch in the top of the ninth inning to edge the Wake Forest Demon Deacons 6-5 on Friday afternoon in a playoff game at Monongalia County Ballpark.

Jelkin, who entered with a 32-21 overall record for the Wildcats, struck out five and allowed four earned runs despite not surrendering a hit. His previous outing against Vanderbilt on May 19 saw him yield four earned runs on zero hits over 5 2/3 innings in a loss.

Kentucky, the visiting team, managed only four hits in the game but made them count. Wake Forest had 10 hits but left several runners on base. The Demon Deacons fell to 38-20 with the loss.

The game’s pivotal moment came in the top of the ninth. With the score tied 5-5, Kentucky’s Patrick Tharnish led off with a single to right field. After two strikeouts, Tharnish stole second and third base, then scored on a wild pitch by Wake Forest reliever Will Ray, giving the Wildcats a 6-5 lead. Kentucky closer Jackson Soucie retired the Demon Deacons in order in the bottom of the ninth, sealing the win.

Kentucky’s four-run sixth inning had earlier turned a 3-1 deficit into a 5-3 lead. The rally began when Bell was hit by a pitch and Lawrence walked. Brown walked to load the bases, then Braxton VanCleave doubled down the left-field line, scoring two runs. Brown scored on a wild pitch, and VanCleave came home on a sacrifice fly by Hansen, putting Kentucky ahead 5-3.

Wake Forest responded in the bottom of the sixth when Andrew Costello homered to left field, cutting the lead to 5-4. In the eighth, Dalton Wentz homered for the Demon Deacons, tying the game at 5-5. Wentz finished 3-for-4 with a home run and an RBI.

Chris Levonas started for Wake Forest and pitched five innings, allowing two hits and one earned run while striking out six. Marcelo Harsch threw two innings of one-hit relief, striking out two. Ray took the loss.

Costello went 2-for-4 with a home run and an RBI for Wake Forest. Matt Conte hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning, finishing 1-for-4 with two RBIs. Javar Williams added two hits.

For Kentucky, VanCleave doubled and drove in two runs. Dylan Cloud doubled and had an RBI. Tharnish scored two runs, including the game-winner, and stole two bases.

Jelkin’s performance marked a bounce-back after a difficult stretch. He had allowed four earned runs in each of his previous two starts, including a 5-8 loss to Vanderbilt. The Wildcats had lost five of their last seven games entering Friday.

Wake Forest came in having won three of their last four, including a series win at Duke. Their offense had averaged more than seven runs per game over the previous week.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Wake Forest 7, Kentucky 4. Interstat’s ELO system gave Wake Forest a 50.70 percent probability to win.