The No. 23 ranked UK softball team (26-17, 9-9 SEC) lost its third consecutive rubber match in a 5-2 road loss against the No. 5/7 Louisiana State University Tigers (36-9, 13-5 SEC) on Sunday afternoon to lose the series. 

UK’s kryptonite on Sunday was Shemiah Sanchez. Sanchez exploited the Cats with two home runs that helped keep the Tigers ahead. LSU’s leader in home runs this year, she now has 15 this season.

Autumn Humes (9-7) received the loss after pitching for five innings and allowing five runs and five hits. Grace Baalman pitched for the rest of the game and didn’t allow any runs. Abbey Cheek had a bright moment on what was a tough day after smacking her 16^thhomer on the year.

Sanchez got things going in the first inning with her first home run of the game to make it 2-0 Tigers. Humes helped out on the other side of the ball though with a single of her own in the second inning. That drove in a run to cut the Tigers’ lead to 2-1.

Cheek pulled through for the Cats after her home run made it 2-2. But, that didn’t last long after Sanchez hit her second home run of the day in the sixth inning and Elyse Thornhill hit another home run that same inning to make it 5-2 Tigers. 

UK will face Louisville on Wednesday, April 17^thin the Wildcats’ midweek game, also known as the “Battle of the Bluegrass.” It begins at 6 p.m. and will be shown live on the ACC Network Extra.