HENDERSON, TENN. – The Spartans dropped their second consecutive road doubleheader on Monday evening against (RV) Freed-Hardeman University. A late-inning rally downed Missouri Baptist in game one and a five-run first inning from the Lions put game two away.
 
After junior pitcher Shelby Sievers worked around two runners on the bases in the bottom of the first, the Spartans responded by taking the lead in the bottom half. Allison Pingel reached on a walk and advanced to third after a throwing error by the catcher on Kaitlyn Chadwick's bunt.
 
With runners on second and third and no outs, Skylar Ruiz hit a sharp line drive that was snagged by a sliding Freed-Hardeman defender in right-center field that kept the runners still. Pingel advanced on the next batted ball when Cami Meddows hit a fly ball deep enough to bring her in for the first run of the game.
 
Clinging to a one-run lead, Sievers found a groove and rolled through the first four innings unscathed. Trouble hit in the bottom of the fifth when the Lions loaded the bases with just one out. The home team would only scratch one run across before Sievers got out of the jam.
 
A scoreless sixth from the MBU offense set the stage for late-game heroics. Kennedy Harris took an 0-1 offering from Ally Dunaway and drove it into left field to give her team the lead. A 1-2-3 inning in the top of the seventh finished off the Spartans with a 2-1 final.
 
Sievers' final line was five innings pitched, four hits, one unearned run, three walks, and six strikeouts.  Madalyn Bone, Jordan Corby, Allison Pingel, and Sydney Berry collected the only hits in game one.
 
Game two got off to a rockier start. Freed-Hardeman got to Haley Tate for five runs in the first inning that included two more RBIs from Harris who hit a two-run home run in the second at-bat of the game.
 
Lions' starter Brittney Adair shut the Spartans down for the first four innings.  In the fifth, an error and a single from Berry had the Spartans threatening. Katelyn Turbyfill later crossed home on Tate's fielder's choice to cut the lead to four.
 
FHU picked up another run in the bottom of the sixth to extend the lead. Chadwick tried to spark the offense with a one-out double in the top of the seventh but the Lions destroyed any chance of a comeback with a strikeout and a groundout to third to end the game.

Sievers had another solid pitching line in the second game with another 4.2 innings pitched allowing just one earned. She also collected two hits at the dish. Tate had the only RBI while Chadwick and Berry were responsible for the only other hits.
 
The losses pushed the Spartans under .500 at 3-5 heading into their next matchup against another team receiving votes in Cottey College. The Saturday afternoon road doubleheader is scheduled for 1 p.m. in Nevada, Missouri.