PADUCAH, Ky. - The Freed-Hardeman Lions put together a late rally, but it wasn't enough to get past No. 2 Cumberland (Tenn.) University in the first game of the TranSouth Conference tournament on Monday afternoon.
Cumberland (47-8), the regular season conference champion, extended its winning streak to 18 with an 11-6 victory over Freed-Hardeman (33-23), which has lost four straight.
The Lions scored five times in the last three innings, but Cumberland had already done enough damage to be able to fend off the rally as the Bulldogs scored twice in the second, third and fourth innings and three times in the sixth to hold a 9-1 lead entering the seventh.
Max Kautz started things off for the Bulldogs with a two-run home run in the second off of FHU starter Derek Williford (2-2). Williford appeared to be on his way to working out of a bases-loaded jam in the third but an Evan Mansell error with two outs allowed two more runs to score.
FHU got on the board in the top of the fourth on the strength of three consecutive two-out hits, finished off with an RBI double by Leamond Arthur. But Cumberland came back with two more runs in the home half of the inning. The Bulldogs then scored three more times in the sixth to take a 9-1 advantage.
The Lions, however, fought back and scored twice in the seventh when Derek Bush, who reached with a one-out double, scored on a wild pitch and Robert Prieto singled home Blake Taylor. After Cumberland answered with two runs, Noslen Labrada added a solo home run (13) to lead off the eighth inning.
Freed-Hardeman then looked poised to do more damage in the ninth after loading the bases with no outs. Mansell was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to bring in a run and after Brian Bullard flied out to right field, Labrada delivered a single to right to score Mark Kelley from third.
However, Prieto was gunned down at the plate for the second out of the inning and Labrada was then thrown out trying to advance to second on the throw to end the game.
The Lions had 10 hits compared to 14 for Cumberland, but FHU also committed four errors which led to four unearned runs in the contest. Labrada went 3-for-4 with two RBI while Prieto went 2-for-5.
Cumberland's Matt Greener, who entered the game leading the nation in home runs and RBI and second in batting average, went 4-for-4 with three RBI raising his average to .510 for the season.
Freed-Hardeman plays the loser of the Union (Tenn.)/Lyon (Ark.) game tomorrow at noon.
