Wildcats Swept in Doubleheader at (RV) Freed-Hardeman

HENDERSON, Tenn. – It was a tough afternoon at Five Wells Field for the Bethel Wildcats, as they dropped both ends of a Saturday doubleheader to (RV) Freed-Hardeman Lions, losing 11-8 and 13-3.

Despite some flashes of power from the Bethel bats, the Lions' high-powered offense proved too much to overcome in the Mid-South Conference clash.

Game One: FHU 11, Bethel 8- The opener was a slugfest that saw Bethel (10-23, 4-8 MSC) rack up 12 hits. CJ Lattimore kickstarted the offense with a home run and a double, while Zayden McCaslin added a three-run blast in the fourth inning to keep the Wildcats within striking distance.

 Bethel mounted a late-inning charge, scoring four runs in the sixth to cut the deficit, but FHU's bullpen slammed the door in the seventh to preserve the win.

• Key Stats: CJ Lattimore (2-for-2, HR, 2 RBI, 3 Runs); Zayden McCaslin (2-for-3, HR, 3 RBI).

Game Two: FHU 13, Bethel 3- In the nightcap, the Lions' bats remained hot, utilizing three home runs to pull away early. Bethel's offense was highlighted by Adriel Vega, who launched a two-run homer in the third inning, and Juan Diego Ramos, who finished 3-for-4 with two doubles. However, the Wildcats struggled to contain the FHU run game, as the Lions capitalized on seven walks and four wild pitches to end the game in eight innings.

• Key Stats: Juan Diego Ramos (3-for-4, 2 2B); Adriel Vega (1-for-3, HR, 2 RBI).

Bethel Head Coach Rusty Thompson emphasized the need for more consistency on the mound and defensive discipline following the sweep. "It was a frustrating day because I felt like our hitters gave us a chance in that first game, but we just gave up too many free runs. When you're playing a top 20 team like Freed-Hardeman, you can't afford to walk guys or make mistakes on the base paths. We showed some life with the long ball, but we have to be better at limiting big innings. We'll get back to work this week and focus on executed pitches and playing cleaner baseball as we head into the back half of our conference schedule."

 Stat Summary (Doubleheader Total): Total Hits: 17 • Home Runs: 3 (Lattimore, McCaslin, Vega) Extra-Base Hits: 7.

 Up Next: The Wildcats return home to Wildcat Park for a non-conference mid-week matchup before continuing MSC play next weekend. The Cats host the Lane Dragons on Wednesday.