GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Gators were fully aware of the task prior to their three-game series against Kentucky to determine the SEC East regular-season title.

Florida starter Alex Faedo, two days before taking the mound in the first game of the series on Thursday night at McKethan Stadium, sat in the opposing dugout and discussed the opportunity to win a championship ring for the first time in his three seasons at UF.

The same dugout the Southeastern Conference's best-hitting team stepped from one by one Thursday, bats in hand, in Kentucky's 12-4 win. Faedo's words Tuesday came so true.

"It's not just going to be given to us,'' he said.

The Wildcats (38-16, 19-9) were most certainly in no giving mood, pounding Florida pitchers for 20 hits to move into a first-place tie with the Gators (38-15, 19-9) atop the SEC East and overall standings. LSU (37-17, 19-9) made it a three-way tie atop the league with a 3-1 win at Mississippi State.

"They played really good tonight,'' Gators coach Kevin O'Sullivan said. "I don't want to take anything away from them. They just beat us, simple as that. We've got to flush it and come back tomorrow and play a little bit better."

Normally, an early three-run lead with Faedo dealing from the mound is a good sign for the Gators.

Not on Thursday in front of an announced crowd of 3,693 and national TV audience on ESPN.

The Gators struck quick against Kentucky starter Sean Hjelle, scoring two runs in the first. Ryan Larson, batting leadoff and starting in center field, reached on an error and scored on Austin Langworthy's RBI sacrifice fly. Jonathan India's two-out line-drive single to center scored JJ Schwarz to provide Faedo quick cushion.

The Gators added a run in the second inning on an RBI groundout by Dalton Guthrie as Hjelle struggled with his control. He walked five of the first 14 Gators he faced. However, Hjelle settled down and Kentucky's potent offense heated up.

The turning point? Tristan Pompey's two-out, grand slam in the fourth inning that put the Wildcats in front 4-3.

Faedo threw a 1-2 slider that he considered a good pitch, as did O'Sullivan.

"I thought the pitch was down,'' O'Sullivan said. "He just went down and got it. We just got beat. I don't want to put it all on Alex. No one's perfect. Kentucky was really good."

Faedo survived the fourth but by the sixth, he was replaced by Nick Horvath with one out in the inning. He never recovered from Pompey's homer, allowing a career-high 13 hits in 5 1/3 innings. Faedo gave up seven runs, walked one and struck out five against a Wildcats team that entered the series leading the SEC in hitting with a .322 average, 30 points higher than second-place LSU.

"We knew they were a good-hitting team,'' Faedo said. "They battled in the fourth inning with two outs and kind of break the game open from there."

The Wildcats scored 12 consecutive runs from the fourth through eighth innings to take command. Florida's final run came in the ninth on India's RBI single.

The loss adds even more drama for the Gators as they seek to claim their first SEC regular-season title since 2014. Three teams in first, each with two games to play.

"The next two games are must-win games if we want to get the ring,'' Schwarz said. "The pressure is going to be on and hopefully we're going to be able to play better. They did hit the ball really well, but we've had games like that as well. Tomorrow is a different day."

Kentucky's 20 hits marked the second time the Gators have allowed that many in a game this season, the first a 9-8 win at Stetson on March 21.

The Gators hope it's the last.

"Sometimes you've just got to credit the other team," said O'Sullivan.

He then turned and walked toward the home dugout, far from those Kentucky bats the Gators will try to silence on Friday and Saturday to win a conference title.