Eric Freeman and Wes Albert combined to allow just one run on four hits to lead the Lee baseball team to a 6-1 victory over Tuskegee in game one of Saturday's Opening Day doubleheader from a chilly Olympic Field.
Trey Nelson was tagged with the loss for Tuskegee. Nelson tossed 115 pitches over six innings allowing six runs, five earned on six hits. He walked five and finished with four strike outs.
Lajerrius Haralson worked two scoreless innings in relief and yielded just one walk.
Freeman, a senior transfer from the University of Tennessee, made the most of his Flames' debut as he scattered three hits while striking out eight in five innings of work to earn the victory. The hard-throwing right-hander walked two and allowed just one run.
Albert came on in relief and shutdown the Golden Tigers over four innings and was credited with the save. The senior allowed just one hit and fanned eight.
The Lee offense got going in the second inning as Justen Freeman, a freshman third baseman and brother of starter Eric Freeman, singled to right field to score Chase Gadau. Dalton Ney followed with an infield RBI single to make it 2-0.
The Flames tacked on three more runs in the third frame as senior Peyton Meeker roped a two-run double to left field and score on a Brayden Ware one-base knock to left center.
The final run of the game came on a steal of home by freshman Thomas Zazzaro after coming on to pinch running for Miguel Pimentel. Pimentel doubled earlier in the inning but was lifted as he came up lame on a dive back to third. The double steal was put in motion by head coach Mark Brew and executed to perfection by Gadau and Zazzaro.
