Rain-delayed start ends with Lady Lion win

April 15, 2023

by Dustin Semore, FHU Sports Information Director

COLUMBIA, Ky. — After two at-bats on Friday, the No. 14 Freed-Hardeman University Lady Lions and the hosting Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) College Blue Raiders vacated the field with a storm rolling into the Bluegrass State, abandoning play to be picked up late Saturday. The series opener proved a tight battle with the Lady Lions escaping with a 2-1 victory.

With Kennedy Harris-Bennett reaching thanks to an error, the Lady Lions (18-7, 11-4 MSC) opened up the scoring with a two-out single from Sophie Dunavant driving in the first run of the game. Back-to-back walks would load up the bases, but a strikeout left three Lady Lions stranded.

The Blue Raiders (16-17, 8-7 MSC) answered in the bottom of the first with back-to-back base hits to begin their half of the frame setting up runners on second and third with nobody out. A hard ground ball to first base forced the runners to stay put before an attempt at a squeeze play saw the runner remain at third and load the bases. A sacrifice fly for the second out of the inning scored the tying run before a strikeout left a pair stranded.

Neither team had offensive luck from the second to the fifth inning until Dunavant notched a one-out single in the top of the sixth inning. After her pinch runner, Natalie Gilmore, advanced to second base thanks to a single from Catherine Crabb, Cassie Hayes would drive in the go-ahead run with a single to left field to finish to scoring and see the Lady Lions claim a 2-1 victory.

Chloe Winters (8-2) tossed the complete game where the junior struck out four while allowing eight LWC hits.

FHU would tally seven hits in the win, led by 2-3 afternoons from the bats of Catherine Crabb and Sophie Dunavant.