“Liberty and Liberty softball are for real.”
That was the message from Liberty head coach Dot Richardson following the win Saturday over No. 1 national seed Texas A&M (46-10). Liberty (49-12) came from behind, scoring five runs in the sixth inning to win, 8-5. With the win, the Lady Flames advance to Sunday’s Regional Final, opponent to be determined. Whoever survives Saturday evening to play Liberty, must beat the Lady Flames twice while LU only needs one more win to advance to the program’s first ever Super Regional.
“You saw Texas A&M, ranked number one in the nation, well deserving,” said Liberty head coach Dot Richardson. “It shows where Liberty softball is at too. It’s exciting to see that we believe and we trust. My prayer was for the team to play with freedom and to be able to play with the fierce competitiveness that is born within them. I think you saw that.”
The host Texas A&M took the early lead, plating four runs in the bottom of the second. They did so off CUSA Pitcher of the Year Elena Escobar, but only had two hits in the frame off the Liberty ace. The Aggies took advantage of a walk, two errors, and a runner being thrown out at home that was overturned after review.
Other than that inning, Escobar was once again electric. She pitched a complete game, allowing five hits, five runs, three of them earned, while striking out three and tossing 130 pitches. She picked up the win to improve to 24-3 on the season.
Liberty left the bases loaded in the top of the first for the second straight game to open regional play, and again moved a runner into scoring position in the second but failed to score. Trailing 4-0 entering the third, the Lady Flames finally got on the scoreboard with three straight hits, all of the damage coming with two outs. Alyssa Henault started it off with a single to left center. KK Madrey then tripled, hitting the ball off the wall in center field, scoring Henault. Paige Doerr, who continues to come up clutch in postseason play, blasted the first pitch she saw over the right field fence, cutting the A&M lead to 4-3.
The Aggies got one of those runs back, scoring with a walk, double, and sacrifice fly to improve their advantage to 5-3. Liberty would put runners on in the fourth and fifth innings, but were unable to cut into the deficit as they had stranded seven runners on base through the first five frames.
Escobar would settle in during the middle innings, retiring eight in a row through the fifth inning, allowing the Liberty bats to strike.
With the score still 5-3 entering the sixth, Liberty would put the pressure on the nation’s top team. Savannah Jessee led off being hit by pitch. Savannah Woodard would later single, putting runners on first and third with CUSA Player of the Year Rachel Roupe stepping to the plate. The Flames would score one run on a passed ball, cutting the deficit to one. After a Roupe single, Henault would knock in Woodard and Roupe with her two-RBI single, putting the visitors on top of the scoring column at 6-5 for the first time of the day. The next batter, KK Madrey, would keep it going. The former LSU transfer smashed a ball over the right field fence, scoring two, as the Flames took the 8-5 lead.
“We all had quality at bats,” Madrey said of the team’s five-spot in the sixth. “As long as we didn’t forget what we did in the previous at bats, we were going to be successful. We were going to hit the ball eventually. We were hitting it throughout the whole game. We’ve been facing the same pitcher every single inning. After a while, once you see the same pitcher over and over again, you are going to see it better and better.”
That cushion would be all Escobar would need, as she would take care of business in the final two innings, recording the six outs needed as Liberty advances to Sunday’s Regional Final. She held the potent Texas A&M offense in check throughout much of the game, limiting their first five hitters to just one hit.
“She is just a competitor,” Richardson said of Escobar. “When you are at this stage, that’s what it takes to win. She was so disappointed in herself walking #13 twice, ended up scoring twice. She took responsibility for that. That opens the door when you are walking the leadoff batter. That showed me, as upset as she was, how fierce she is and how much she wants it, and the team responded. We easily could have collapsed.”
Madrey was 3 for 3 at the plate on the day, with three RBI and two runs scored. Rachel Roupe was 2 for 4 while Henault was 2 for 3 with two RBI and two runs. The Flames finished with 11 hits off Emiley Kennedy, one of the top pitchers in the country.
“We trust each other,” Henault said. “We know that if I don’t get the job done, the next person is going to. We fully believe that and we trust each other.”
This is Liberty’s fifth Regional Final appearance in program history. The Flames also won the first two games in the Athens Regional last year in Georgia, defeating Charlotte and Georgia before falling to the Bulldogs twice on Sunday. Making the program’s fifth consecutive Regional appearance, the Flames are now in a Regional Final for a fourth time in five years.
“It’s not over yet,” Richardson said. “We know it. We need to finish. We need to stay strong, continue to believe. It’s not finished. Texas A&M is going to battle back. We overcame this time and we need to be overcomers at least one more time.”
*photo courtesy Liberty Athletics
FRIDAY, MAY 16
Game 1: Liberty 10, Marist 5
Game 2: #1 Texas A&M 18, Saint Francis 0 (5 innings)
SATURDAY, MAY 17
Game 3: Liberty 8, #1 Texas A&M 5
Game 4: Marist 8, Saint Francis 0 (6 innings) (Saint Francis eliminated)
Game 5: Marist vs #1 Texas A&M, 7 p.m.
SUNDAY, MAY 18
Game 6: Liberty vs. Winner Game 5, 4 p.m.
Game 7: Winner Game 6 vs Loser Game 6, 6:30 p.m. (if necessary)