Jordan Freeman Propels Series Sweep

     Cougar reliever Jordan Freeman inherited a fifth-inning jam when taking over for starter Brian Satterfield against Indianapolis at Ragsdale Field on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.

     Freeman's great escape and rare pickoff of a runner at second earned the Cougars a 3-2 win and series sweep of the Greyhounds.

      Indianapolis entered the weekend's competition ranked the nation's number 12 Division II team by Collegiate Baseball Magazine. The Greyhounds came to Columbus with a 2-0 record and left at 2-3.

     Freeman took over with runners on first and third and nobody out in the fifth inning. The Cougars held a slim 2-1 lead. Freeman surrendered a double to Adam Akin, which tied the score 2-2. But the junior reliever slammed the door on the Greyhounds, striking out a pair and coaxing a harmless tapper to the mound to end the inning.

     Alex Montes put the Cougars ahead in the bottom of the fifth with an RBI double off the wall in right. It was Freeman's job to protect the tiny lead. He allowed one baserunner in the sixth, but got off to a shaky start in the seventh, hitting leadoff man Aryn Ross to open the inning.

    A sacrifice bunt by Akin moved Ross to second before Freeman executed the rarely successful pickoff move at second base.

     Freeman created a jam himself in the eighth. Travis Capps hit a shot back to Freeman, who recovered and threw wildly to first. Capps got all the way to third on the play before coach Greg Appleton called on closer Wade Dudley to put out the fire. Dudley got a fly ball out of pinch-hitter Scott Mourey to end the inning.

     Dudley used the pitcher's best friend, a game-ending double play to earn the save.

     The Cougars travel to Montgomery on Tuesday at 4 PM to face Auburn-Montgomery.