Facing a starting pitcher who was part of Vanderbilt's combined no-hitter of Kentucky in April, the Wildcats pounded Chris McElvain and the Commodores' bullpen Friday to claim a 10-2 win in the elimination bracket of the SEC Tournament.

Kentucky, which became the first No. 12 seed to ever win a game in the event on Wednesday against Auburn, will advance to play the loser of today's LSU/Tennessee matchup on Saturday.

To keep their season alive, the Wildcats (32-25) had to beat the tradition-rich Commodores at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium. The win, UK's 14th against an SEC opponent this season, also placed the Cats on the NCAA Tournament bubble when it once appeared that would require some unrealistic circumstances to unfold.

Kentucky, which was no-hit by the Commodores on April 22 in Lexington, collected 16 hits. Five different Cats had multi-hit games, including three apiece from Adam Fogel and Ryan Ritter. The latter drove in three runs with a pair of doubles.

John Thrasher, Daniel Harris, and Chase Estep each added two hits for UK. Hunter Jump chipped in with a two-run double. Each of the Cats' starter had at least one hit.

Ryan Hagenow started on the mound for the Cats. He struggled with his control, however, and was lifted in the third inning after allowing his fourth walk.

But the UK bullpen was up to the task once again as Daniel Harper, Austin Strickland, and Tyler Guilfoil held Vandy to just two runs until the Cats exploded for five runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to effectively seal the win.

Harper (4-1) worked three innings of scoreless relief to earn the win. Guilfoil handled the final 3.1 innings, allowing just one run to pick up his sixth save of the season.

McElvain (5-5) took the loss after surrendering five runs on 10 hits and two walks over 4.1 innings on the mound.

Vanderbilt stuggled defensively with two errors, a misplayed fly ball that turned into a double, and three wild pitches.

Javier Vaz went 4-for-4 to account for most of the Commodores' seven hits on the day.