Auburn’s bullpen hurled 7 1/3 hitless innings to stifle Kentucky’s explosive offense and secure a 12-6 victory over the 20th-ranked Wildcats on Sunday afternoon at Plainsman Park.

The loss drops UK to 22-6 overall, including 5-4 in the Southeastern Conference, and the Wildcats have lost consecutive games for the first time this year. Auburn improved to 14-17 and 3-6 in the league. The Tigers won their first conference series and Kentucky lost its first.

Kentucky chased starter Chris Dennis after just 1 2/3 innings by tagging him for four runs on three hits. However, those were the only hits the Wildcats would produce in the game.

Meanwhile, Auburn’s offense was clicking on all cylinders. The Tigers pounded out 12 runs on 16 hits against four UK pitchers. Starter Greg Dombrowski took the loss, the first of his career, after giving up six runs, only three earned, on eight hits. He was 5-0 this season entering the game and had not lost in seven career decisions.

Dombrowski was the victim of a pair of errors by shortstop Matt McKinney, who also committed a third error later in the contest.

Josh Donaldson and Tyler Johnstone did most of the offensive damage for Auburn, combining for seven hits – four of them doubles – five RBIs and four runs scored. Auburn stranded 15 runners in the game, including two men in each of the first seven innings.

Billy Grace and Brian Hastings each had a two-run single in the second inning and Mike Brown had the Wildcats only other hit.

While the Wildcats weren’t hitting, they were still getting men on base. The team drew eight walks and managed to score single runs in both the seventh and the eighth without a base knock.

Kentucky returns to action on Wednesday when it hosts intra-state rival Louisville at Cliff Hagan Stadium. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. Last year, the Wildcats swept the season series with the Cardinals.