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LAWRENCE, Kan. -- The Samford University baseball team rallied to score four runs in the final three innings of action Friday, but couldn't overcome an early 5-0 deficit on the road against the Kansas Jayhawks as the home team posted a 6-4 triumph in the opening matchup of this weekend's three-game set being played at Hoglund Ballpark.
 
Samford (13-9) outhit Kansas (10-11), 11-5, but left 11 runners on base in the loss.
 
The Bulldogs finished with four players earning multi-hit performances, including Branden Fryman, Kevin Williams, Jr., Anthony Mulrine and Taylor Garris. Garris, Samford's freshman third baseman also scored a run and tallied an RBI on Friday, while Williams, Jr., and Mulrine both crossed the plate in the contest.
 
Senior T.J. Dixon and sophomore Sam Teague added key base hits for the Bulldogs. Dixon drove in Samford's first run of the game in the seventh inning, while true freshman Matthew Bennett pinch hit in the top of the eighth and doubled home two scores with a perfectly placed hit down the line.
 
After Bennett drove in both Dixon and Williams, Kansas' lead was trimmed to 5-3. The Bulldogs then inched closer with a third run in the frame as Garris sent an RBI groundout to second base to make the score 5-4.
 
Samford's Tristan Widra turned in an outstanding outing in relief Friday. The Bulldogs' junior native of Hoover, Alabama, pitched 3.2 innings and accumulated four strikeouts. He only allowed one earned run, but didn't give up a single base hit. Widra played a big role in Samford's comeback attempts.
 
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Kansas tacked on its sixth run of the game, but the Bulldogs were well within striking distance in the top of the ninth with the score at 6-4.
 
The Jayhawks' Stephen Villines spent the final 1.2 innings on the mound and was able to hold off Samford's late rally in the game.
 
The Bulldogs' Mikhail Cazenave (2-2) started Friday's contest, but ran into trouble in the bottom of the fourth frame. Kansas scored four runs in the inning as the Jayhawks garnered an early 5-0 advantage.
 
Sean Rackoski (3-2) earned the start for Kansas and registered seven strikeouts in 6.2 innings of action.
 
Samford and Kansas will square off in game two of the weekend series Saturday at 2 p.m. (CT) at Hoglund Ballpark.
 
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