On Monday, April 13, the Kentucky softball team lost a third straight game to the No. 6 Tennessee Volunteers, completing a sweep at John Cropp Stadium.

Unfortunately for the Big Blue Nation, losing games isn’t a new trend, with this now being the fifth time this season that the Wildcats have been swept by a SEC opponent and marking their seventeenth conference loss.

To begin the series, Tennessee dominated on the mound in Saturday’s matchup, where pitcher Karlyn Pickens threw all seven innings, striking out 12 Kentucky batters and not allowing a single hit. The Volunteers would go on to win 5-0.

Sunday’s game would feature the Wildcats’ best chance to pick up a win, thanks to a solid outing from Abby Hammond on the mound. She only allowed three hits and one earned run, but unfortunately, the offense would fail to generate anything on the scoreboard. Pitcher McKenzie Oslanzi would give up four runs in the seventh inning, resulting in a 6-0 loss.

“I think it’s always just one pitch at a time,” Hammond told KY Insider after the game when asked what her message to the bullpen was. “Just one pitch at a time to do the best I can do, and they’re going to do the same thing behind me.”

The final game of the series on Monday would be Kentucky’s biggest showing of offense on the weekend, scoring three runs in the third, but Tennessee had already scored nine runs of its own up to that point. In the final four innings, we would only see one more run for the Vols, with Hammond stepping in once again for a solid outing.

Despite the horrid play against SEC foes, head coach Rachel Lawson is adamant that her team can shock some as tournament time creeps up.

“Once postseason comes, anything can happen,” Lawson told KY Insider. “You have to stay the course, and have a good attitude about it, but once postseason happens, it’s a clean slate.”

Up next, Lawson and her squad will face Northern Kentucky (16-20, 5-7 Horizon) on Wednesday, April 15 on the road. First pitch is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. ET.

On Easter Sunday, April 15, the Kentucky Wildcats (23-8, 6-6 SEC) fell to the Missouri Tigers (19-14, 3-9 SEC) by a score of 5-2, losing yet another conference series in the heat of the year.

A single to left-center put the Tigers on the board first, but INF Luke Lawrence homered in the third, putting the Wildcats back up by one.

It seemed to be anyone’s game up until the fifth inning, where starting pitcher Ben Cleaver threw the ball between the legs of the first baseman while fielding a bunt. Afterwards, the Bat Cats had two unsuccessful challenges and two pitching changes.

To pour salt on the wound that the mistake-riddled defense opened up, Missouri scored the eventual game-winning four runs in the fifth inning. Kentucky never seemed out of a comeback because of how well they swung at the ball, and Nick Mingione said so himself.

“I was absolutely pleased with the at bats we had today,” said Mingione.

Nearly every inning saw a player in the blue and white get on base, but in Sunday’s matchup, the Bat Cats only 2-19 with runners in scoring position.

After dropping their third SEC series in a row, the Wildcats will have to look forward to their next game for a momentum boost.

Up next, Kentucky plays in the Battle of the Bluegrass, hosting the rival Louisville Cardinals (19-13, 5-7 ACC) in Kentucky Proud Park. First pitch is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday April 7 and will be streamed on SEC Network+.

The sun was shining at that perfect amount to be outside but with winds blowing at 19 mph, enough to keep you cool and help a batter hit one out of the park.

Bases were loaded in Kentucky Proud Park, with Scott Campbell at the plate. He swung at one he liked and suddenly, the ball soared out of left center for a grand slam, putting the Wildcats up 7-0 in only the third inning. Points to the weather.

No. 22 Kentucky baseball (23-7, 6-5 SEC) took down the Missouri Tigers (18-14, 2-9 SEC) by a score of 9-2 on Saturday, April 4, getting revenge for the previous loss. This win tied the series 1-1, with one more game left to play for bragging rights.

Along with Campbell’s grand slam, OF Jayce Tharnish went 3-5 with two steals while SS Tyler Bell hit a two-run homer and took two bags as well.

“That was a point of emphasis to just try to get out to a good start,” said Nick Mingione after the win.” Through three innings, the Tigers only had one runner reach base and didn’t score until two runners got home in the fifth inning. By the sixth, the game was practically over.

After the game, the field was filled with happiness, celebration and loved ones. With it being Easter weekend, the Mingione family felt it was right to have the players’ families in attendance.

“This was all my wife’s doing,” said Mingione. “We need to get them on the field with their families,” he added.

Although Easter is a time to spend with family, the Bat Cats will be spending it on the diamond as well. The final matchup of the Missouri series will take place on Sunday, April 5 at 1:00 p.m. ET and will stream live on SEC Network+.