PULASKI, Tenn. - All the Freed-Hardeman Lion baseball team can do now is wait.

FHU saw another late-inning lead disappear as Bethel (Tenn.) University used a five-run seventh inning to fuel a 10-9 win over the Lions at the TranSouth/Gulf Coast Unaffiliated Group Tournament.

The loss eliminates Freed-Hardeman (38-13-1) from the tournament and could leave the Lions on the outside looking in when at-large bids to the national tournament opening round are released. In this week's poll, FHU received four total votes.

As they did yesterday, the Lions jumped ahead early with a six-run third inning. Lincoln Lakoff got it started with a solo home run - the first of his career - to lead off the inning and Justin Mackey, Garrett Ferguson and Ryan Grigaitis all added RBI hits.

Bethel answered in the bottom of the third with a three-run home run by Lance Jerrald to cut the FHU lead in half, and both teams scored twice in the fourth to make it 8-5.

Mackey's sacrifice fly in the sixth gave FHU a four-run lead and after Dan Creighton worked a scoreless bottom half of the frame, the Lions looked to be in good shape.

Creighton, though, ran into trouble in the seventh after allowing a single and double to lead off the inning, so Lion head coach Jonathan Estes went to the bullpen and Joe Creasy. After a walk loaded the bases, Creasy gave up a single to Jerrald but retired the next two hitters and was on the verge of getting out of the jam.

But in a near-replay of yesterday's loss to Talladega (Ala.), a two-out grand slam quickly changed the momentum - and in this case, the lead. Bethel's Celtic Rush hit a 1-1 pitch over the right field fence, turning a three-run deficit into a 10-9 Bethel lead.

The Lions went in order in the eighth and had a chance to tie in the ninth after getting their first two runners on the basepaths after Ryan Huber reached on an error and Mackey reached on a single. But Keaton Gregory closed the door, retiring the next three batters - two on strikeouts - to earn the save.

FHU out-hit the Wildcats, 11-10, but stranded six compared to three for Bethel. Mackey went 3-for-4 with three RBIs while Ferguson and Kyle Dearing both had two hits. Creasy (1-4) took the loss, his second in as many games.

Qualifiers for the national tournament opening round will be announced on May 5.