Three runs. Nine innings. A trip home without a win. That's what Thursday night in Lexington looked like for Arkansas.

The No. 12 Razorbacks dropped the series opener to the Kentucky Wildcats 4-3 at Kentucky Proud Park in Lexington.

It wasn't the kind of start the Hogs needed heading into what amounts to the most critical weekend of their regular season.

The stakes couldn't be more clear. The Razorbacks currently rank 27th in the Rating Percentage Index and would likely need to jump at least four or five teams to have any chance of hosting a regional.

Dropping the opener doesn't make that math any easier.

Kentucky, meanwhile, is fighting just to get into the tournament.…