A sluggish start doomed Missouri baseball in a 9-2 loss to No. 24 Kentucky in Saturday’s afternoon matchup at Kentucky Proud Park.

Sophomore starting pitcher Brady Kehlenbrink struggled against the Wildcats. The lefty pitched 3⅓ innings, surrendering eight runs on six hits while walking five batters.

Kentucky jumped on Kehlenbrink early, as Tyler Bell hit a two-run homer to start the scoring in the first.

An errant pickoff attempt allowed Jayce Tharnish to advance home and give the Wildcats a 3-0 lead.

But the biggest blow came in the third with five Kentucky runs. After a two-out RBI single from Tagger Tyson, Kehlenbrink loaded the bases by hitting a batter and allowing a walk. The Wildcats broke the game open with a grand slam from Scott Campbell Jr.

“We had a little bit of a bad start there, but that shouldn’t have put us in the tank,” Mizzou coach Kerrick Jackson said after the game to Mizzou Radio. “We just did not play a complete game today.”

Luke Sullivan calmed the Kentucky offense, hurling four innings and allowing a single unearned run. But the Tigers’ offense couldn’t overcome the deficit, managing only two runs in the fifth inning.

The Tigers started the inning with three straight singles. Mateo Serna capped the trio to score Blaize Ward. The second run came on a fielder’s choice at second base, as Tyler Macon recorded an RBI and reached first successfully. A groundout ended the inning as Mizzou cut the deficit to six.

Mizzou put runners on the corners with no outs in the sixth. The Tigers couldn’t capitalize after a strikeout plus a flyout with Kentucky throwing out Peyton Basler at the plate.

The Tigers ended the ballgame 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position.

“We just came out flat today,” Serna said. “(Sullivan) gave us an opportunity with all the zeros he brought out, but we just weren’t able to do it offensively.”

Serna’s 2-for-3 day was an offensive bright spot. The junior’s double marked his fifth extra-base hit on the year. His fifth-inning RBI brought him up to 13 on the season.

Mizzou will look to overcome the pitching injuries and offensive inconsistencies to secure its first SEC series victory of the season. First pitch for the rubber match is set for noon Sunday in Lexington, Kentucky.