Michael Clayton had 3 doubles and 5 RBI in the first game
Michael Clayton had 3 doubles and 5 RBI in the first game
Sat, Apr 4, 2009 - [Baseball]
HENDERSON, Tenn. - After dropping the first game of a three-game conference series to Mid-Continent on Friday, the Freed-Hardeman Lions came back with a vengeance.

The Lions' bats exploded for 25 hits - 14 for extra bases - in 10 innings as FHU powered its way to a pair of 11-1 run-rule wins to take the series from the Cougars.

Carlos Pertuz (5-1) limited Mid-Continent to one hit, a double by Daniel Williams to lead off the game.  After walking the next batter, Pertuz retired 15 consecutive Cougars with their only run coming on Adam Connor's sacrifice fly in the first.

Michael Clayton drove in the first four runs of the game for FHU with two-run doubles in the first and again in the third.  His third double of the day brought home another run in the middle of a six-run fourth inning that saw the Lions pound five extra-base hits.

Leo Alvarez's run-scoring double in the bottom of the fifth put FHU ahead 11-1 and ended the game on the run rule.

Clayton went 3-for-3 with three doubles and five RBI to lead the way at the plate for Freed-Hardeman in the first game.  Every Lion starter tallied at least one hit, with Alvarez and Hernandez each recording two.

The second game wasn't much different, as Mid-Continent again picked up a run in the top of the first but would then be shut down by the Lions' pitching.  Alan Barnett (4-0) allowed three hits over four innings of work, while Jhonny Montoya finished the game by coaxing a game-ending double-play after allowing a one-out single.

FHU got on the board quickly in the second game, scoring four times in the bottom of the first highlighted by Angel Nicolas's based-loaded double with two outs.  Leo Alvarez and Noslen Labrada added RBI singles in the second and third respectively before the Lions blew the game open with a five-run fourth inning to take an 11-1 lead.

Alvarez was a perfect 3-for-3 in the second game.  Nicolas, Greg Allen, and Derek Bush each went 2-for-3, with Nicolas driving in a game-high four runs.

The Lions improve to 21-9 on the season and 9-4 in conference play.