Liberty baseball took two of three games at home against Jacksonville State, continuing the team’s hot start to conference play. The Flames have won four straight CUSA series to open conference play at 9-3, continuing to sit alone atop the conference standings while sporting a 17-18 overall record.
WEDNESDAY: #16 VIRGINIA TECH 13, LIBERTY 3 (8 INNINGS)
Liberty fell to the Hokies in Blacksburg on Wednesday evening, 13-3 in the first of two meetings between the schools this season as Virginia Tech makes the trip to Lynchburg in May.
The Flames had cut the Virginia Tech lead to 4-3 in the top of the seventh, but VT answered with eight runs in the bottom of the inning to take control of the contest. The Flames walked 14 batters including nine in the seventh inning.
Flames’ starter Todd Hudson takes the loss. He gave up four runs over 2.1 innings while walking two. Trey Carter pitched 3.1 innings of scoreless relief while striking out two and walking two. No Hokies hitter had more than one hit in the game.
Left fielder Brayden Horton drove in all three of Liberty’s runs with a two-run single and an RBI double.
FRIDAY: LIBERTY 7, JACKSONVILLE STATE 2
Cole Hertzler kept Jacksonville State’s bats in check on Friday in the opener of the CUSA series at Liberty Baseball Stadium.
Hertzler allowed two runs on nine hits over 6.2 innings to win his fourth consecutive start. The right-hander struck out a career-high 10 batters and walked three. Garret McLaughlin and Ben Blair did not allow a hit over the final 2.2 innings in relief of Hertzler. Blair earned his second save of the season, pitching two scoreless innings while striking out three.
Brayden Horton had two hits and four RBI in the contest. Kane Kepley was 3 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored for the Flames. Tanner Marsh and Cam Foster had two hits a piece.
Liberty broke a 1-1 tie with three runs in the sixth inning.
SATURDAY: JACKSONVILLE STATE 6, LIBERTY 5
The Gamecocks scored three in the top of the ninth and held off the Flames in the bottom of the inning to pick up the win and even the series.
Trailing 4-3 in the ninth, the Gamecocks struck for three runs in the top of the inning to take a 6-4 lead. Liberty would close the gap with a solo home run to right field by Kane Kepley to lead off the bottom of the ninth. However, Jacksonville State pitchers Colin Woodham and Austin Cornelius combined to retire the next three Liberty batters to seal the win.
Kepley had two hits and scored twice, continuing his hot play on the weekend. Tanner Marsh had two hits, including a solo home run in the seventh to give Liberty the lead.
Nick Moran allowed three runs on six hits over 6.1 innings while striking out two. Ben Blair takes the loss after giving up four runs, three earned, on four hits while recording just two outs.
SUNDAY: LIBERTY 12, JACKSONVILLE STATE 6
Liberty scored runs in six of their eight innings at bat on Sunday, helping to secure the series win.
Macaddin Dye was 3 for 4 with 4 RBIs, as he knocked in the Flames’ first four runs of the day. His two-RB single in the third inning gave the Flames a 4-3 lead and it would not look back from there.
The Gamecocks cut it to 6-5 in the 5th, but Liberty bounced back with three runs in the 5th to extend the lead to 9-5. John Simmons tripled to score in two while Camden Troyer’s sacrifice fly brought in the third run of the frame. Todd Hudson and Troyer had solo home runs in the 7th to reach the 12-run mark.
Todd Hudson got the start, pitching four innings while allowing three runs. Garrett McLaughlin pitched 4.1 innings of relief, surrendering just one hit and one run, unearned, while striking out four and issuing one walk.
Up Next: The Flames hit the road this week, beginning an 8 game road swing. It begins Tuesday in Richmond at VCU with first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m. Liberty then heads to Kentucky to take on Western Kentucky in a three-game CUSA series. Games are scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday, 5 p.m. Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday.
Current CUSA Standings
Liberty…………………9-3, 17-18
Dallas Baptist……..6-3, 26-8
Louisiana Tech……6-3, 26-12
Western Kentucky…8-4, 25-12
FIU………………………..7-5, 19-17
Sam Houston……….4-8, 21-15
Middle Tenn………….4-8, 12-22
NMSU…………………..4-8, 15-19
Jax State……………..3-9, 12-23
