Box Score KENNESAW, Ga. ---- Despite a stellar pitching performance and a late game-tying rally, some untimely Bulldog errors and Kennesaw State hits ultimately made the difference in a close 3-2 loss Wednesday night.
 
The loss is Samford's (3-5) third one-run loss of the season.  The Bulldogs were kept in the game by a masterful pitching performance by Mollie Hanson (2-4), as she took the tough loss despite allowing only one earned run off two hits with a career-best 12 strikeouts.  Five Bulldogs earned a hit in the loss, including a sixth-inning single by Madison Dickey to extend her hitting streak to five games.
 
Kennesaw State (9-1) made their only two hits count, driving in a run off both.  Abbey Mixon (3-0) earned the win in the circle, throwing 6.0 innings with eight strikeouts while Amanda Henderson entered in the seventh inning for her second save of season.
 
Pitching dominated the early portion of the game, with neither team earning a hit until Caroline Seay's one-out single in the top of the third, though she was eventually left stranded.  In the bottom half of the third, the Kennesaw State leadoff batter was walked, sacrificed to second and advanced to third on a wild pitch.  The Owls' first hit of the game brought her home, making it 1-0 after the RBI single up the middle.  The next batter reached on a fielder's choice and an errant throw to second allowed the leading runner to score while the trailing runner moved to second with the score now 2-0.  Hanson struck out two in a row to end the inning with the Bulldogs facing a two-run deficit.
                                                                                                                                                                 
Leading off the top of the fifth, Callie Brister poked a double into the right-field gap, eventually advancing to third off a one-out groundout to the pitcher.  Seay hit a groundout to the shortstop and was beaten out on the throw by less than half a step, holding the Bulldogs scoreless.
 
Samford looked to put a number in the run column again in the top of the sixth.  Arica Dykes led off the inning with a hard-hit single to center field and Megan Dowdy followed that up with a fielder's choice into shallow left field just out of reach of the outfielder's glove, though Dykes was tagged out at second on the play.  Dickey followed with a single through the left side and the runners were moved over into scoring position off a groundout to the second baseman.  Kayla Shaffer came up with a huge at-bat with two away, knocking the first pitch into center field for a two-run single that tied the game, advancing to second off the throw.  A strikeout ended the rally but it was now a whole new ballgame with the score tied at 2-2.
 
Kennesaw State stole the momentum back in the bottom of the sixth, putting two runners on base with one out after an error and a walk.  A  hard-hit single that just stayed fair down the first-base line scored the go-ahead run, giving the Owls the 3-2 lead with runners at the corners and still only one away.  A strikeout and a popup ended the inning with Samford needing to overcome a one-run deficit in the next half-inning.
 
The Owls turned to their number-one pitcher, senior Amanda Henderson, in the top of the seventh as she shut down the Bulldogs in order to earn the save and hand Samford another tough one-run loss.
 
Up next, Samford will be one of 12 teams competing in the Memphis Classic this weekend, playing four games over two days.  The Bulldogs open action with two games on Saturday, Feb. 23 facing Wright State (1 p.m. CT) and SEMO (4 p.m. CT).  On Sunday, Feb. 24, Samford will play Wichita State (9 a.m. CT) and Belmont (2:30 p.m. CT).