Sat, Apr 17, 2010 - [Baseball]
LEBANON, Tenn. - The Cumberland (Tenn.) Bulldogs proved why they are the No. 2 rated team in the NAIA with a 16-5 win over the Freed-Hardeman Lions in the first game of a three-game weekend series on Friday afternoon.
The Bulldogs (35-8, 8-2) jumped on FHU starter Charlie Overturf early, getting four runs in the second inning highlighted by a three-run home run by Maz Kautz. Two innings later, Cumberland put together another big inning, chasing Overturf on their way to eight runs in the frame to take a 12-0 lead.
FHU (28-13, 6-4) bounced back with a pair of runs in the top of the fifth on RBI singles by Chris White and Robert Prieto, but once again the Bulldogs' bats exploded in the bottom of the inning with four more runs, including a three-run double by the conference's leading hitter, Matt Greener.
The Lions got a solo home run from Noslen Labrada (10) in the sixth and a two-run double from Brian Bullard in the seventh, but it was not enough to dig out of the hole Freed-Hardeman found itself in from Cumberland's scoring outburst.
The loss was the first of the season for Overturf (5-1), who allowed 10 runs - eight earned - in 3-1/3 innings. One bright spot in the game for FHU was Hunter Newby, who worked a scoreless 1-2/3 innings late in the game. Joe Mike was the only Lion to record multiple hits, getting singles in the fifth and seventh innings.
