PULASKI, Tenn. - The Freed-Hardeman Lady Lions got more than they bargained for out of Amanda Duke and seventh-seeded Mid-Continent (Ky.) University in the opening round of the TranSouth Conference tournament.
Duke put together what was arguably her best start of the year, holding FHU scoreless through seven innings of the day's third game.
However, Tarrah Tucker was still better.
Tucker (18-2) struck out a school-record 18 batters and the Lady Lions finally got a run across the plate in the eighth inning, avoiding the upset bid with a 1-0 win on Wednesday afternoon to advance to play Union (Tenn.) University in the semifinals of the winners' bracket tomorrow.
Duke - who only allowed three hits but walked six - managed to pitch out of trouble the entire game, particularly in the second inning when FHU loaded the bases with no one out. The junior got Tucker and Traci Gibbons to pop up and Brittany Steverson to ground out to escape with no damage. Freed-Hardeman had runners on base in every inning but the third, but left eight stranded.
It was quite a change for a team that had averaged over seven runs per game in their last eight, but Tucker's domination in the circle made it into a non-factor - eventually.
MCU managed three singles off of the senior but never got a runner past second base. Hannah Mosely, who had two of her team's three hits, was gunned down attempting to steal second in the second inning. Duke and Mosely later both reached second with two outs, but Tucker struck out the next hitter both times.
After leaving the bases loaded in the second, Freed-Hardeman wasn't able to advance a runner past first for the next five innings.
But Jill Brock got her team's third hit, a single up the middle, to lead off the bottom of the eighth inning. She then moved to second on Brittany Bradford's sacrifice bunt and would score the game-winner one batter later when MCU shortstop April Carter couldn't handle a ball of the bat of Britney Caldwell.
Carmen Gulley went 2-for-3 to account for FHU's remaining hits and stole two bases in the second inning.
The Lady Lions face Union at 3:00 PM on Thursday with the winner advancing to the winners' bracket final on Friday at 1:00 PM.
