Bethel College Wildcats win series with conference rival Freed-Hardeman;

New team and individual records set

Matt Swinea, Sports Information Director

HENDERSON, Tenn. (Saturday, April 28, 2007) – The Bethel Wildcats viewed the three-game series with Freed-Hardeman University as vital to getting ready for the start of the upcoming TranSouth Conference Tournament.  The crowds were large and the intensity of the games gave them a playoff feel.  Bethel answered many of their own questions taking two of the three games from the hosting Lions.  In the process, the Wildcats set a team record for wins in a season with 32.  Jonathon Keck (Fr./Lexington, Tenn.) tied the Bethel College career home run mark in his freshman season with his 17^th of the year.  Another freshman made his mark on the Bethel record books as Drew Hayes (Fr./McKenzie, Tenn.) struck out 13 in a seven inning game. 

Due to the possibly of rain, Friday was rescheduled as a double header.  Game one saw Hayes take the mound and he was dominant throwing a one-hit, seven inning shutout.  Hayes was down to the last out before Freed’s Denny looped a hit just past the infield.  In the effort Hayes struck out 13 batters to set a new Bethel record for strikes outs in a seven inning game.  Bethel had their troubles offensively as well, only getting three hits in the game.  But, Alex Whitmore’s (Sr./Nashville, Tenn.) hit in the top of the sixth couldn’t have been any bigger.  Whitmore launched a three run homer to right center scoring Scott Dean (Fr./Jackson, Tenn.) and Hayes for a 3-0 lead.  Hayes did the rest on the mound and Bethel took game one of the series.

Tyler Newman (Jr./Henderson, Tenn.) got the call to start game two on Friday.  The Wildcats got off to a fast start offensively.  Whitmore and Newman hit back-to-back homers in the top of the first to take a 2-0 lead.  Keck led off the second with a single and moved to second on Johnathan Deberry’s (Fr./Lexington, Tenn.) bunt single.  Both runers moved up a base on a balk and Keck scored on a fielder’s choice.  Seth Stanfill (Jr./Lexington, Tenn.) drilled a double to scored Deberry and a 4-0 lead.  Bethel scored again in the third as Keck hit a single that scored Heath Sharp (So./Fayetteville, Tenn.) and a 5-0 advantage.  Dean got into the home run act as he hit his first of the season, a solo shot to left field and Bethel had a 6-0 lead after four.  But, then the wheels came off in the Freed Hardeman half of the fifth inning.  The lead off batter walked and after a pop out, moved to second on a wild pitch.  The next batter walked.  Then, what seemed to be an innocent dribbler in front of the plate was tougher than it appeared as the throw to first base sailed into right field.  A double, walk, a pop out for out two, two more singles an error, another double, a wild pitch and Freed had scored eight times for an 8-6 lead.  Bethel had a chance in the bottom of the seventh with two runners on and Keck at the plate.  Keck fouled the first pitch about 450 feet double the right field line.  But, Bethel was unable to score and let the second game slip by, 6-8.

The series finale on Saturday afternoon had Keck going to the mound.  Keck lasted only 2.2 innings as he had control problems.  Keck walked five, allowed six hits and five runs.  Hunter Pingston (Sr./Rockledge, Fla.) came on in relief and threw four innings allowing three runs on five hits and struck out five to earn the win.  Whitmore hit a solo homer in the third, but Freed carried a 5-1 lead through four innings.  Then in the fifth, Dean led off with a double and advanced to third on Hayes’ fly out.  Whitmore walked and Newman followed with a three-run homer to cut the lead to 4-5.  With two down, Keck singled, Deberry singled and Matt Retherford (Sr./Collinwood, Tenn.) hit another single to score Keck knotting the score up at 5-5.  In the top of the sixth, Bethel started to distance themselves from the Lions.  With two out, Whitmore walked, Newman walked and Sharp singled.  Then Keck blasted a towering grand slam homer and a 9-5 lead for the Wildcats.  Deberry was hit with a pitch, stole second and scored on an error to make it 10-5.  Freed countered with one in the bottom half of the inning for a 10-6 score.  They added three more in the bottom of the seventh to make the score 10-9.  But, Stanfill drove in Keck who hit a double to lead off the eighth to make it 11-9.  Hayes came in to pitch the ninth and picked up his second save of the season.