Stetson had a chance to complete a three-game sweep of visiting Kennesaw State on Saturday afternoon and, at the same time, even its season record for the first time this year.
 
The Hatters fell short of both goals, dropping the series finale to the Owls 2-1 at Melching Field.
 
Stetson left runners in scoring position in the first, second, fifth and sixth innings in the series finale. The Hatters (18-20, 7-5) finished the seven-inning game with eight runners left on base.
 
KSU jumped out to a 1-0 lead on the third pitch of the game with shortstop Tyler Simon took a fastball from Stetson starter Robbie Peto (0-7) over the wall in left for his first home run of the season.
 
The Owls appeared ready to expand on that lead, following the homer with consecutive singles, but a visit from Stetson Associate Head Coach Dave Therneau seemed to have the desired effect on the Hatters' sophomore, who settled down to retire 12 of the next 13 KSU hitters.
 
KSU pushed its lead to 2-0 in the fifth inning after a leadoff double by David Chabut and a pair of Stetson errors.
 
The Hatters had a chance to get on the board in the bottom of the inning, loading the bases against KSU starter Jake Rothwell on two walks and a hit batter. Freshman Jared Rine (2-3) came on to pitch for the Owls, getting Jorge Arenas on strikes and an inning-ending ground ball from Baylen Sparks.
 
Stetson finally got on the board in the sixth inning after Eric Foggo led off with a single, moved up on a pair of ground outs and then scored on an Andrew MacNeil double to center that blew over the head of KSU's Alex Carballo. MacNeil, who represented the tying run, was left stranded at second.
 
The Hatters went down in order in the bottom of the seventh.
 
Peto had his best overall outing of the year, allowing just one earned run on five hits with a walk and seven strikeouts over 5.2 innings. Freshman Bret Neilan closed out the game for Stetson.
 
MacNeil had two of the six Stetson hits in the game.
 
The Hatters will return to action on Tuesday evening in Tallahassee when they open a two-game mid-week series against Florida State. Game time on Tuesday is set for 6 p.m. with the Wednesday contest scheduled for a 4 p.m. start.
 
About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program has a vision of developing a culture of champions athletically, academically and within the community. This vision is accomplished through a mission of recruiting and developing student-athletes, coaches and staff, creating a culture of champions, within and outside of competition. The department operates with five core values: Championship Culture, Integrity, Excellence, Pride/Tradition and Leadership. To learn more about the Vision, Mission and Core Values for Stetson Athletics, visit GoHatters.com and click on Mission Statement under the Inside Athletics tab.