HENDERSON, Tenn. --- A pair of home runs in the bottom of the sixth inning kept the University of St. Francis baseball team from recording its first win over a ranked opponent on the season as NAIA No. 25-ranked Freed-Hardeman University (Tenn.) rallied for a 4-3 victory on Friday Night at Five Wells Field.

A pair of freshmen did the honors for the Lions (11-1).  Jordan Carter's two-run shot to left centerfield tied the contest at three-all before Cade Fuller followed two batters later with his eventual game-winning home run to right field.

The Fighting Saints (1-1) gained an initial 3-0 lead in the second inning by being patient at the plate.  Aided by three walks, Drew Dant drove in the first St. Francis run with an infield hit before Nate Maliska's two-run single to center field provided USF with its biggest lead of the night.

Freed-Hardeman got one of those runs back in the bottom half of the inning on a pair of doubles.

St. Francis would not get much offense going over the next five innings.  The Saints did get one runner as far as second base with two outs in both the fifth and seventh inning.  Their lone serious threat came in the eighth inning when they had runners at first and third base, but with two outs.

FHU relief pitcher Evan Koob, another freshman, got out of that inning with a groundout before recording three more outs in the ninth inning to notch his fourth save of the season.

Jacob Jurka's season debut on the mound was a solid one for USF, allowing just one run over his five innings of work.  He struck out five batters against one walk, while yielding five hits. 

Zac Blazekovich and Quinn McGuire kept the game close with their scoreless efforts in relief.  Blazekovich pitched 1 2/3 innings, while McGuire went one inning

Dant was the only Saint with multiple hits, going 2-for-4 with the one run batted in and another one scored.

Notes: Blazekovich and McGuire's scoreless frames were their second of the season in as many chances … Dant's multi-hit game was his first as a Saint … USF continues the four-game set against Freed-Hardeman on Saturday with a twinbill beginning at noon.

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