In the first game of a long weekend of baseball the Freed-Hardeman University Lions used a four-run seventh inning to defeat the University of St. Francis (Ill.) Fighting Saints 4-2. The Lions (6-3) had a tough time figuring out the USF starter. A pitcher’s duel had no player reaching scoring position until a leadoff double from the Saints created an opportunity that USF capitalized on to take a 1-0 lead.
After being spotted a second run, the Fighting Saints (0-1) turned the game over to their bullpen in the bottom of the seventh. Trace Anderson took advantage of the change by lacing a double down the line in left. Three straight singles from the Lions helped FHU to plate runs on three consecutive at bats to take the lead of the final score 4-2.
One day after the spring half of their season concluded Freed-Hardeman golf looks to the future with the signing of Davidson Academy’s Lucas Gupton. Gupton has plenty of tournament experience, competing on the Sneds Tour, the Mid-South Junior Tour, and the Hurricane Golf Tour. During the 2024 campaign, Gupton finished with a share of 2nd place at the Mid-South Junior Masters. During the Mid-South Tour, he was in the top-10 in total points. He carded a 67 at the Legacy Golf Club to record the second-lowest round while tying for third place at the Ted Rhodes Open with a closing round of 70 (-2). He helped the Bears to two Regional Tournament berths. “There are no true words to describe how I feel about FHU,” said Gupton. “When I first started talking to Coach Randall, one of the first things we talked about was our love for Christ. FHU felt like the right place for me before I even stepped foot on campus. My decision to commit to FHU was a no-brainer when I saw the community that they have created and when I got to sit down and meet with the coaching staff. Coach Randall is an amazing person and his striving for Christ is unmatched. I can’t wait to get down there and represent the FHU Lions!” Head golf coach Randall Rhodes said, «Lucas exemplifies the type of player and person we want on our team. He has a passion for competing, a love for FHU, and a desire to work hard to continue growing. His character and his strong tournament experience will have a positive impact for us. We›re looking forward to Lucas being at FHU and the impact he will have.»
Competing in their final road trip of the regular season the No. 4 Freed-Hardeman University Lady Lions had a huge second half to put away the Lindsey Wilson College Blue Raiders 71-47. The Lady Lions (23-3, 7-3 MSC) fell behind early but promptly scored the next 12 points to storm ahead to a 12-2 lead thanks to the forward tandem of Kaylee Odom and Kelsey Bender. After a free throw from LWC put the Blue Raiders back on the board Bender and Odom connected for layups before Alaina Stiles’ free throw ended the first quarter with FHU leading 17-9. Lindsey Wilson (15-11, 2-8 MSC) jumped back in during the second quarter by connecting on back-to-back 3-pointers to narrow the margin to as little as four points before Stiles and Brooklyn Crouch connected from long range to open an eight-point run to push FHU’s lead to 31-19. The Blue Raiders hit four free throws to end the half with the Lady Lions leading 33-25. As has been the case all season the Lady Lions turned it up to 11 by tallying 19 points in each quarter. Odom and Crouch opened with layups before Jenna Satterly’striple made it a 15-point lead for the maroon and white. FHU and LWC traded scores until Satterly’s jumper made it a 52-36 FHU lead after three quarters. The FHU defense did not allow a made shot by the Blue Raiders until a jumper at 3:06. Meanwhile the Lady Lions continued to dominate in the paint with Lucy Curry’slayup sealing the 71-47 win. Both teams attempted 49 shots, but the Lady Lions connected on more than double LWC’s total with 29 makes to the Blue Raiders’ 13. The Lady Lions scored 46 points in the paint while Lindsey Wilson had four. Kaylee Odom was 9-10 from the floor to score a game-high 20 points. Jenna Satterly tallied 11 points while Kelsey Bende scored nine.
Peyton Law dropped a career high 30 points to lead four No. 4 Freed-Hardeman University Lions in a 91-76 victory over the Lindsey Wilson College Blue Raiders. Phil Horton and Law got the game going with three straight layups for the Lions (22-4, 7-3 MSC) but Lindsey Wilson got white hot from beyond the arc by sinking eight 3-pointers in the first half. Three of those game in the middle of an 11-0 run for the hosts, eventually taking a nine-point lead over the Lions. Ryley McClaran stepped up for three triples of his own before Blake Dean’s trey at 5:52 gave FHU back a 29-27 lead. Dean would go on to score six more points in the half before heading to the locker room with a 42-38 lead. Law would then make waves in the second half beginning with a 3-pointer to give the Lions a nine-point edge over the Blue Raiders (15-11, 2-8 MSC) in the first minute of the half. Law would forge ahead with six unanswered points to make the Lion lead 57-47 at the 13:14 mark of the second frame. Sam Powell entered the fray to score six points with Geraldo Lane’s layup at 8:01 ending a 7-0 run to push FHU’s lead to 13. The hosts would only connect for one field goal in the last five minutes of play while the Lions forged ahead to the 91-76 victory. Freed-Hardeman shot 56% from the floor while keeping Lindsey Wilson at 45%. The Lions dominated the glass by out-rebounding the opposition 41-27.
It was a big day for Peyton Law, being named to Small College Basketball’s Top-50 Bevo Award Watchlist, recording his career high, and eclipsing the 1,000 point benchmark in the win. Phil Horton and Ryley McClaran each contributed 13 points while Blake Dean tallied 12. Law and Horton each earned double-doubles with Horton grabbing a team-high 11 boards with Law collecting 10.
