On the first day of the 2025 CUSA Baseball Championships at Liberty Baseball Stadium in Lynchburg, Virginia, No. 8 seed Liberty fell to No. 1 seed Dallas Baptist, 5-3. With the loss, the Flames move into the loser’s bracket and will face the loser of No. 4 seed Jacksonville State and No. 5 seed Louisiana Tech in an elimination game Thursday at approximately 4 p.m. Liberty is now 30-26 overall after finishing conference play at 10-17 in the regular season.

Playing in a rematch from this past weekend’s regular season finale series that DBU took two of three games, the Patriots took the early lead thanks to back-to-back hits in the second, highlighted by a two-run home run from Chayton Krauss. They manufactured another run in the fifth, scoring on a passed ball to take a 3-0 lead.

DBU’s starting pitcher Ryan Borberg held Liberty scoreless through the first six innings while scattering three hits. The Flames would finally get to him with two outs in the seventh. Consecutive singles saw DBU head coach Dan Heefner head to the mound to pull Heefner. Finally getting into the bullpen, the Flames had three straight RBI hits from Michael Robertson, Easton Swofford, and Tanner Marsh, to tie the contest at three. The Patriots would escape the inning with the bases loaded.

The regular season CUSA champ came right back in the home half of the seventh. Back-to-back doubles scored the go ahead run and they would not relinquish the lead. Two more doubles in the eighth added some cushion and the final score at 5-3.

Luke Pettitte, son of former big leaguer Andy Pettitte, who was in attendance, got the final three outs in the ninth to record his first career save. Borberg’s finally line was 6.2 innings pitched while allowing two runs and five hits and striking out six. DBU used four pitchers out of the bullpen with Mason Swinney picking up the win.

Jake Potts started for the Flames. He pitched five innings while allowing three runs, two earned, walking three, and striking out two. Josh Swink picked up the loss. He gave up one run on two hits in two innings pitched.

Krauss was 2 for 3 at the plate with a double, home run, and two RBI. For the Flames, Camden Troyer and Seth Christmas were both 2 for 3 while Swofford had a double and an RBI.

Dallas Baptist moves into the winner’s bracket and will play the winner of Jax State-Louisiana Tech in the nightcap Thursday.