LEXINGTON | Auburn’s chances for a road sweep ended before it really got started.

No. 24 Kentucky struck for five runs in the first inning on just two hits to salvage a game in the series with a 6-0 win over the 16th-ranked Tigers Sunday afternoon at Kentucky Proud Park.

“I thought we’d play offense and I thought we’d be competing here for the whole game. But I looked up after that first inning and that’s not what you want to see on a scoreboard,” said AU coach Butch Thompson. “We just couldn’t shove the ball in the strike zone enough.”

Auburn, which won both of the first two games by an 8-7 margin, falls to 19-5 overall and 4-2 in the SEC

The Tigers didn’t get their first hit until the fifth inning and were held to just two singles by a trio Wildcat hurlers.

Christian Chatterton (2-1) took the loss allowing all five runs on two hits, two walks, one hit batter and one wild pitch in 0.1 innings.

Dylan Watts allowed just one hit in 4.0 innings, Carson Myers one hit in 1.2 innings and Griffin Graves one run on two hits in 2.0 innings.

“Watts did an amazing job for us,” said Thompson. “Myers, that was his third time to pitch this week so we didn’t want him out there long. He did a great job. And then Graves, the ball comes out of his hand. We think he’s got a chance."

Auburn’s most exciting moment of the game came in the fifth when pitcher Ryan Hetzler and an Auburn student manager were ejected from the dugout after second base umpire Jeremy Dupree took exception to AU’s bench doing a row-the-boat motion when the count went to 2-2 on Cale Stricklin.

Auburn plays South Alabama Tuesday night at Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT and it will air on War Eagle+. The Tigers will close out a seven-game road trip with a three-game series at No. 4 Georgia.