Flames Stay Red-Hot, Sweep Aggies to Extend Win Streak and Hold Firm in CUSA Race

Liberty (35-13) (18-6) stays hot after another perfect week. Liberty opened up the week with a run-rule victory over AAC opponent Charlotte, before ending the week with a three-game series sweep of New Mexico State in Las Cruces. As the calendar turns to May, the Flames continue to build a strong at-large resume for a potential NCAA Regional bid, while also shrinking the gap in the CUSA standings between Jacksonville State. 

Tuesday: LIBERTY 12, CHARLOTTE 2

Liberty took care of Charlotte in seven innings on Tuesday night in Lynchburg. 

After surrendering a two-run home run in the opening inning, the Flames quickly responded and took control, scoring five runs across the third and fourth innings to build a lead they would not relinquish.

Jaxon Sorenson had a day for the Flames. The senior paced the Flames offensively with three hits, including a two-run home run, while also driving in a career-high four runs and scoring twice. Riley DeCandido reached base in all four plate appearances, collecting two of Liberty’s 12 hits and two walks while scoring twice. Jackson Evans picked up the win for Liberty, allowing two earned runs on four hits over three innings, while striking out five batters. The Flames’ pitching staff did not allow another run after the first inning in what proved to be Liberty’s second-consecutive run rule victory. 

Saturday Game 1: LIBERTY 15, NEW MEXICO ST 4

The Flames took care of business Saturday afternoon after the weather postponed Friday night’s contest. 

The contest, suspended Friday night in the fifth inning with the score tied 3-3, was all Flames the next day. Landon Scilley opened the scoring in the fifth with an RBI single. The lead would remain 4-3 Liberty until the seventh inning when erupted for four runs. The Flames added five more in the next two innings to claim the 15-4 series-opening victory. 

Josh Swink thrived for the Flames on the mound, tossing five scoreless innings, for the Navy and Red. Swink has thrown eight consecutive scoreless innings. The Flames offense set a couple of season-highs in this game. Liberty drew 12 walks and recorded 18 hits. Tanner Marsh and Kyle Hvidsten each added three hits, while Marsh drove in two runs, extending his hit streak to 10 games. 

Saturday Game 2: LIBERTY 9, NEW MEXICO ST 7

Liberty won Game 2 of the doubleheader in a come-from-behind, dramatic fashion.

The Flames opened the scoring in the top of the first with a Sorenson RBI single, but the Aggies would take control to take a 7-3 lead into the seventh inning. Sorenson and Barone both recorded RBI singles to cut into the Aggie lead. A scoreless eighth from both teams led to a 7-6 game with the Aggies in the lead. DeCandido led with a single, while Jaffe also reached base on an error before Nick Barone came up to bat. Barone launched a three-run home run to give the Flames a 9-7 advantage. Cooper Harrington came in to close out the game with a scoreless bottom of the ninth to close out the game. 

Tyler August delivered 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief to keep Liberty within striking distance, while Barone led the offense with two hits and four RBI, including his team-leading 10th home run of the season. Sorenson added two hits and three RBI. 

Sunday Game 3: LIBERTY 7, NEW MEXICO ST 4

The Flames completed the sweep on Sunday afternoon, with a wire-to-wire victory over the Aggies.

Kyle Hvidsten opened the scoring with a two-run home run to give the Flames a lead. Liberty added three insurance runs in the fifth inning, capitalizing on Aggie errors to extend their lead. 

Barone stayed hot, going 4-4 on the day while also driving in two runs. On the mound, Bradley Zayac set the tone with five strong innings to get the win (7-0), and the combination of Jackson Evans and Cooper Harrington closed out the game to seal the sweep for the Flames. Liberty outhit the Aggies 12-9 to secure their sixth consecutive win and fifth sweep of the season.

UP NEXT: 

Liberty (35-13) (18-6) will open the week with Virginia Tech (25-21) (13-14) in a Commonwealth midweek matchup in Lynchburg. The Flames won the first meeting in Blacksburg, 11-4. Ranked 56th in RPI, this game offers the Flames another resume-building opportunity. First pitch will be at 6:00 PM and you can watch the game on ESPN+.

The Flames will then set their sights on the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (28-21) (15-9)  for the weekend series. The Bulldogs were the hottest team in the conference, winning four straight CUSA series before dropping two out of three to Dallas Baptist this past weekend and getting run-ruled by Louisiana Monroe in the midweek. This weekend series will be critical for the Flames if they hope to remain in the Conference USA regular-season race. The first pitch of the series will be on Friday at 6:00 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 26th in the country in RPI, a huge boost after their perfect week. The Flames currently have a 7-8 Quad 1 record. Liberty’s Quad 1 wins came at home against Missouri State and West Virginia and then on the road against Virginia Tech, High Point, NC State, and two wins at The Citadel. 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 3 opportunity for Liberty since the game is at home. Liberty’s remaining conference schedule includes this weekend’s series against Louisiana Tech and Middle Tennessee. While these series may not offer statement resume wins (both Quad 3 games), 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

Liberty enters the week at 18-6 in Conference USA and 35-13 overall, sitting in second place in the league standings, two games behind conference leader Jax State after gaining a game on the Gamecocks over the weekend. The Flames continue to separate themselves from the middle of the pack, holding a two-game advantage over Dallas Baptist and maintaining their striking distance as the regular season enters its final stretch.