Liberty (31-13) (15-6) closed out another busy week of action with a mixed bag of results. The Flames opened the week with an exciting come from behind victory against Duke before dropping a tight midweek contest to the Virginia Cavaliers the following day. Liberty followed that with a loss in the weekend series opener to the Delaware Blue Hens, but the Flames bounced back in a big way—exploding for 25 runs over the final two games to secure the series victory at Worthington Field. Liberty continues to show its ability to generate offense in bunches while securing sole possession of second in the Conference USA standings.
Tuesday: LIBERTY 13, DUKE 10
The Flames stormed back from a six-run deficit to beat the Blue Devils for a second consecutive week Tuesday night at Worthington Field.
Liberty fell behind early, trailing Duke 8-2 after just three innings, but Liberty chipped away and only trailed three entering the 8th inning. Nick Barone continued his hot streak, igniting the Flames 8th inning surge with a solo home run to start the frame. Liberty would send 12 men to the plate that inning, scoring seven runs to take a 13-9 lead. Cooper Harrington would surrender a run in the top of the ninth, but would quickly shut the door, securing a 13-10 Flames win.
Jackson Evans took the win for the Flames after a career outing. Evans pitched 5.1 innings, allowing 3 hits, one run, and 5 strikeouts. Riley DeCandido had a great outing, recording 3 hits, 2 hits, and 2 RBIs, while also keeping his team-leading on base streak alive. This win gave the Flames their fourth consecutive ACC win and their second straight versus the Blue Devils, sweeping the season series.
Tuesday: LIBERTY 4, #10 VIRGINIA 5
Liberty jumped out to an early lead but was unable to hold off No. 10 Virginia, falling 5-4 Wednesday night in Charlottesville.
The Flames used a great three-run 4th inning to take a 4-1 lead early. However, Virginia capitalized on defensive miscues, scoring two runs in both the fifth and sixth innings—four of their five runs coming unearned—to take the lead for good.
Jordan Jaffe led the Flames with two hits, as the Flames narrowly outhit the Cavaliers, 7-6. With the loss, Virginia sweeps the season series, winning both games by a combined 3 runs.
Friday Game 1: LIBERTY 4, DELAWARE 5
Liberty would rally late but came up just short, falling 5-4 to Delaware Friday evening in Lynchburg.
The Blue Hens built a 3-1 lead through the first two innings, and that score would hold until the seventh inning. Delaware tacked on a run to open the inning and take a three run lead. The Flames responded in the bottom of the seventh, scoring three runs to cut the deficit to one, highlighted by Tanner Marsh’s RBI double and Jordan Jaffe’s RBI groundout.
While Liberty threatened, the Flames could not complete the comeback, as Delaware reliever Ryan McLaughlin shut the door over the final two innings to secure the victory.
Ben Blair took his third loss of the season (6-3), while Tanner Marsh led the Flames offensively, recording three hits for his team-leading 18th multi-hit game. With the loss, Liberty dropped to 19-4 on the season when outhitting their opponent (outhit Delaware 9-6).
Saturday Game 2: LIBERTY 11, DELAWARE 5
The Flames bounced back from two consecutive one-run losses, with an 11-5 dominant victory over the Blue Hens on Saturday afternoon.
The Flames wasted no time scoring in Game 2, jumping out to a commanding 9-0 lead after just two innings, capped off by Tanner Marsh and Josh Campos scoring off of a Riley DeCandido double. Delaware would get back in the game, cutting the lead to 9-5 in the sixth. Liberty would tack on two insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth and eighth innings to secure the 11-5 win.
Jordan Jaffe sparked the offense with a triple and double, driving in four runs, while Riley DeCandido paced the lineup with three hits, two doubles, two RBI, and three runs scored.
Jaxon Lucas recorded the win for the Flames (3-1), while Senior Brandon Dahlman earned the save, pitching three scoreless innings and striking out three, while only allowing a single hit.
Sunday Game 3: LIBERTY 14, DELAWARE 4
Liberty capped off the weekend with a dominant 14-4 victory over Delaware, using a fast start and consistent offense to run-rule the Blue Hens and secure the series win on Sunday afternoon.
The Flames jumped out early, plating three runs in the first inning before adding two more in the second and breaking the game open with a four-run third to build a commanding 9-1 lead.
Delaware responded with three runs in the fourth to cut into the deficit, but Liberty answered immediately and never allowed the Blue Hens to get any closer. The Flames added insurance late, including a three-run seventh inning and a solo home run from Ryan Drumm in the eighth to put the game out of reach.
Jordan Jaffe led Liberty’s offensive explosion, going 3-for-3 with six RBI, including a bases-clearing double that broke the game open in the third inning. Riley DeCandido and Tanner Marsh each scored four runs, while Jaxon Sorenson added three RBI as part of a balanced 17-hit attack.
On the mound, Liberty used a mix of arms to limit Delaware to four runs on nine hits, shutting down the Blue Hens over the final innings to close out the series victory. Thanks to Liberty’s series win and Louisiana Tech’s series sweep of Missouri State, the Flames now control sole possession of second place in Conference USA.
UP NEXT:
Liberty (31-13) (15-6) will conclude the month of April with a home midweek game against Charlotte (20-23) (5-13) out of the American Athletic Conference. First pitch will be at 6:00 PM and you can watch the game on ESPN+.
The Flames will then travel to Las Cruces, NM to take on the New Mexico State Aggies (18-24) (8-13) for the weekend series. The Aggies have hung around the bottom of the conference all season, but are coming off a solid week. New Mexico State was able to steal Game 1 of the weekend series versus the top team in CUSA in Jax State, and knocked off 25th Arizona State 10-9 in the midweek game. First pitch of the series will be Friday night at 8:00 PM ET. The entire series will be streamed on ESPN+.
AT-Large Case?
Liberty is putting together a strong case for an at-large bid, should the Flames not win the CUSA Tournament. Liberty currently stands at 35th in the country in RPI, with a 4-5 Quad 1 record. Liberty’s Quad 1 wins come at home against Missouri State and on the road against Virginia Tech, High Point, and NC State. Liberty’s win (and losses) against West Virginia fell to a Quad 2 ranking after last week. That, combined with Liberty’s loss to Delaware, had the Flames drop 12 spots in RPI. As things currently stand, Liberty will have one more Quad 1 opportunity on their schedule, against Wake Forest on May 12th. Warren Nolan projects that to be a Liberty loss. The Flames will also face Virginia Tech, but that is currently projected as a Quad 2 opportunity for Liberty since the game is at home. Liberty’s remaining conference schedule is weaker than the beginning slate. Including this weekend’s series against New Mexico State, the Flames only have Quad 3 opportunities (currently) available against the Aggies, Louisiana Tech, and Middle Tennessee. While these series may not offer statement resume wins, they are very crucial for not only remaining alive in the CUSA regular season title race, but also so the Flames do not drop too low in the ratings and potentially ruin their case for an at-large bid.
Conference USA Standings
| Team | CUSA | Overall |
|---|---|---|
| Jax State | 18-3 | 36-9 |
| Liberty | 15-6 | 31-13 |
| Missouri State | 14-7 | 26-15 |
| LA Tech | 14-7 | 27-18 |
| Dallas Baptist | 14-7 | 25-19 |
| WKU | 9-12 | 24-21 |
| MTSU | 9-12 | 22-22 |
| Sam Houston | 9-12 | 20-24 |
| Kennesaw State | 8-13 | 19-21 |
| NM State | 8-13 | 18-24 |
| FIU | 6-15 | 14-29 |
| Delaware | 2-19 | 13-31 |
With the series victory over Delaware, Liberty moves to 15-6 in Conference USA play and 31-13 overall, remaining in second place in the league standings. The Flames trail first-place Jax State while holding a narrow advantage over a group of teams tied at 14-7. The Gamecocks have a sizeable three-game lead heading into May, but will also face a tough slate of Missouri State, Kennesaw State, and Dallas Baptist before the season concludes. With the Missouri State and Dallas Baptist series being on the road, the Flames could have a shot to win the regular season title if the Gamecocks stumble down the stretch and the Flames take care of business.
