Taylor Hodges, Sports Information Director

HENDERSON, Tenn. – The Lady Lions softball team (13-6, 5-3 AMC) earned two non-conference wins on Monday afternoon, beating Bethel University (15-12, 9-5 SSAC) 9-1 in game one and making a comeback to win 7-4 in game two.

Game two was a higher-scoring affair, with the Lady Wildcats going up early on the Lady Lions 3-0 in the top of the first inning.

That deficit was quickly erased by sophomore Annalise Jarnagin, who stepped up to the plate and smashed a three-run home run over the left-centerfield wall with one out.

Bethel re-took the lead in the top half of the second, but back-to-back innings with two runs in the third and fourth for Freed-Hardeman ended up being the difference.

In the bottom of the third inning, Kaylyn Graham brought Cassie Hayes in to score after hitting a double to deep right-center. Graham was later brought in after she advanced to third on a Jarnagin single and scored on a sacrifice fly by Lilly Bombard.

In the fourth inning, Hayes laid down a bunt with Brittan Jarrell and Kristen Hunsicker on second and third. Bethel anticipated the ball to go foul, but it crept down the first-base line and stayed fair, allowing Jarrell to score and Hayes to be safe at first. Hunsicker would later score on a sacrifice fly by Sophie Dunavant.

Emily Bradford earned the win after going five and one-third innings, and Morgan Crawford earned the save after coming on in the sixth and finishing out the game. Each pitcher had one strikeout in the contest.

Game one of the afternoon was all Lady Lions, as they jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning. Crawford, Bombard and Savannah McGraw each scored in the inning.

The Lady Wildcats got on of those runs back in the top of the third inning to make it a 3-1 game, but the Lady Lions scored one to make it 4-1 in the bottom of the fourth when the bases were loaded, and MattiAnne Sparks crossed the plate after Graham was hit by a pitch.

Freed-Hardeman was able to end the game in the bottom of the fifth by run rule after scoring five runs in the inning.

Crawford got the start in game one and went the complete game, striking out six batters.

The Lady Lions will have two conference matchups at home later this week. They will first take on William Woods in a double-header on Thursday starting at 1 p.m., followed by another double-header starting at 1 p.m. against Park University.