JACKSON, Tenn. - Tarrah Tucker tossed her seventh shutout of the season to help the No. 20 Freed-Hardeman Lady Lions split a double-header at Lambuth (Tenn.) University on Thursday evening.
The Lady Eagles won the first game, 1-0, before FHU came back to win the nightcap, 8-0.
Britney Caldwell (5-5) limited Lambuth to six hits in the first game and stranded six runners, but Autumn King's RBI single in the first proved to be all the Lady Eagles needed. FHU struggled to string hits together off of Lambuth's Hannah Trice, who kept the Lady Lions in check with a bevy of off-speed pitches.
With Carmen Gulley on first base, Natalie Carson hit a rocket to center field in the second inning that looked to be over the defense. But Lindsey Akin made an impressive over-the-shoulder catch and was able to double up Gulley, who was already on her way to third base. FHU placed runners on base in every other inning but never advanced past second. In the sixth and seventh innings, the Lady Lions had a runner in scoring position with one out; both times, Trice pitched out of the jam.
The Lady Lions' bats heated up in the second game while Tucker (13-1) allowed only two singles and struck out 11 to win her 12th straight decision.
FHU finally got on the board in the top of the third after Jill Brock reached on an error and came home on Brittany Bradford's double. Freed picked up another run in the fourth on Brittany Steverson's RBI single, then blew the game open with a five-run fifth inning that saw the Lady Lions pound five hits including a two-run double by Tucker and a two-run single by Traci Gibbons.
Caldwell added an RBI single in the sixth for the final run of the game.
The Lady Lions totaled 13 hits in the second game with Bradford leading the way going 3-for-3 at the plate. Caldwell went 3-for-4 while Tucker and Brittany Yates each went 2-for-3.
Freed-Hardeman, now 18-6 on the season, returns to action on Tuesday as it travels to Nashville to take on Trevecca Nazarene (Tenn.) at 1:00 PM.
