Henderson, Tenn.- The Toppers battled throughout a back-and-forth contest on the road but came up just short in a 7-6 loss to Freed-Hardeman in a nine-inning, out-of-conference matchup on Tuesday.
Freed-Hardeman struck first with runs in each of the opening three innings, taking advantage of a sacrifice bunt, a solo home run, and a wild pitch to build a 3-0 lead. 
The Lions added another run in the fourth to extend their advantage to 4-0.
The Toppers began to chip away in the fourth inning when Ross Polizzi delivered an RBI double to score Yaidel Perez. 
Blue Mountain then surged ahead in the fifth, highlighted by a three-run home run from Jacob Bryant that tied the game at 4-4.
Freed-Hardeman answered immediately with a solo home run in the bottom half of the fifth to reclaim a 5-4 lead, but the Toppers responded again in the sixth. 
Jake Meilstrup launched a two-run homer to right field, scoring Gavin Foley and giving Blue Mountain its first lead of the day at 6-5.
The Lions continued the back-and-forth battle, tying the game in the sixth before ultimately taking the lead for good in the eighth inning on a sacrifice fly.
At the plate, Bryant led the Toppers with a three-RBI performance, while Meilstrup added two RBIs and reached base four times. 
Cody Presley recorded a multi-hit game, and Polizzi contributed an RBI double.
On the mound, Judson Griffin got the start, allowing three runs over three innings. 
Caleb Hall followed in relief, while Jesse Hancock was charged with the loss after surrendering the go-ahead run in the eighth. 
Chip Harris closed out the game with a scoreless inning of work.
The Toppers will look to bounce back as they return home to face Freed-Hardeman again on Wednesday at 2 p.m. at the BMCU Sportsplex.
 
 
 
Find us here:
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram