2010 Baseball

HENDERSON, Tenn. - Alan Barnett tossed a complete game, striking out a career-high 11 batters, as the Freed-Hardeman Lions completed a three-game sweep over Crichton (Tenn.) College at Carnes Field on Saturday with a 3-2 victory.

The Lions improve to 27-13 on the season, while Crichton drops to 20-21.

Barnett (5-0) started the day by retiring the first 12 batters he faced before Cory Chance led off the top of the fifth with a solo homerun.  The Comets followed with back-to-back singles and looked to be ready for a big inning, but Barnett got Dalton Freeman to pop up to the infield before striking out the next two hitters to escape the inning.

Chance, meanwhile, was doing his part on the hill for Crichton as he held the Lions scoreless thru five innings.  He further helped his cause with an RBI single in the top of the sixth to put the Comets ahead, 2-0.

But Leo Alvarez broke up the shutout with two gone in the bottom of the sixth with a solo blast and Michael Clayton put the Lions ahead for good one inning later with a two-run homerun that followed Derek Bush's second of three hits on the day.

Crichton threatened with two outs in the top of the ninth on back-to-back singles, but Barnett got Anthony Tomassetti to ground into a fielder's choice to end the game.

Barnett scattered seven hits over nine innings, allowing just one earned run and walking no one against his 11 strikeouts.  Bush went 3-for-4 while Alvarez went 2-for-4 and hit his sixth homerun of the year.  Clayton's seventh-inning bomb was his eighth of the season.