HENDERSON, Tenn. - If opening day is any indication of what's to come in the new season for the Freed-Hardeman Lion baseball team, expect to see another year of strong arms on the mound.

The No. 22 Lions swept a double-header from St. Catharine (Ky.) College on a cold and windy Friday afternoon at Carnes Field in a pair of pitchers' duels, 2-1 and 1-0.

Chris Hatfield (1-0) went the distance in game one in his first start as a Lion, allowing one unearned run on three hits, but had it not been for a seventh-inning rally, his start would have gone unrewarded.

The Lions had equal difficulty figuring out the Patriot combination of Eddie Rivera, Trenton Claunch and Matt Wagner, who kept FHU off the scoreboard for six innings. SCC (1-5) also got some timely defense in the fourth and fifth innings, throwing out FHU runners at the plate for the third out in both frames.

The Patriots brought in Cody Alvey in the seventh to attempt to close the game, and he looked to be well on his way after retiring both Kyle Dearing and Connor Kohlscheen to start the inning. But Ryan Huber kept FHU's hopes alive with a two-out single, then stole second base. SCC then decided to pitch around Justin Mackey to set up a force at any base.

That decision backfired when Bob Seda hit a walk-off triple that brought home both Huber and Mackey for the game-winning runs.

Hatfield gave up back-to-back singles to the first two batters he faced but worked out of the inning by allowing only one run. From there, he allowed only one hit and one walk, and retired the last 13 batters he faced.

In game two, Dan Creighton picked up where Hatfield left off. Creighton (1-0) worked 5-2/3 innings, allowing three hits and three walks. He did not allow more than one baserunner to reach in an inning until the sixth, when a pair of walks put runners on first and second. He gave way to Drew Suttles, who got Eric Standafer to ground out to third to end the inning.

Suttles returned to close the game in the seventh, allowing only a two-out single that did no damage to earn his first save of the season.

FHU got its lone run in the first inning on a Huber RBI single that brought in Kyle Dearing from third. The Lions had chances to add to that run in the second and third innings but stranded runners at third both times.

Ryan Grigaitis went 2-for-2 in the opening game, while four Lions each got a hit in game two. Dearing drew three walks from his leadoff spot in the second game as well.

Freed-Hardeman returns to the field on Saturday, hosting Williams Baptist (Ark.) College in a game originally to be played at USA Stadium in Millington, Tenn. The game was moved due to field conditions at the neutral facility.