Liberty (3-3) dropped its first home series of the season, falling two games to one against No. 25 West Virginia (5-1) this weekend at Worthington Field. The Mountaineers limited the Flames offensively throughout the weekend, holding Liberty to just eight hits in the entire series, while also snapping the Flames’ 11-game home-opening winning streak. Despite the series result, the Flames continue to see strong pitching performances and come away from the weekend with a Top 25 win on their resume.
Friday Game 1: Liberty 0, NO. 25 West Virginia 12
Liberty’s ace Ben Blair did all he could to hold off the Mountaineer bats, as the Flames entered the 5th inning in a 0-0 deadlock. West Virginia would break the tie after a single, double, and sac fly would result in a three-run inning for the 25th-ranked Mountaineers. WVU would add on a solo home run in the following inning, and then the floodgates opened in the 7th, as the Mountaineers plated four more to go up 8-0. A Paul Schoenfeld grand slam in the eighth inning would be the cherry on top as West Virginia doused the Flames in their home opener, 12-0.
Liberty starter Ben Blair allowed three runs on four hits over 4 1/3 innings while striking out four. West Virginia used four pitchers to combine on a three-hit shutout, striking out 14. Jaxon Sorenson and Ryan Drumm each doubled for the Flames, while Tanner Marsh recorded the other Liberty hit. West Virginia outhit Liberty 11-3 in the contest, which would be foreshadowing for the rest of the weekend.
This game marked Liberty’s first home-opening loss since 2018, when Liberty fell to Old Dominion, 7-4.
Saturday Game 2: Liberty 0, NO. 25 West Virginia 2
Liberty fell to 0-2 in the series early Saturday, as West Virginia shut out the Flames once again in Game 1 of Saturday’s doubleheader.
The Mountaineers once again waited until the fifth inning to break the tie, as an RBI double put WVU up 1-0. West Virginia would add an insurance run in the following inning off of a fielder’s choice, and that was all the scoring the Mountaineers would need as four West Virginia pitchers held the cold Liberty bats to just three hits.
Liberty starter Jaxon Lucas put up a solid performance despite taking the loss, allowing two runs on five hits over five innings while striking out five and recording zero walks. Tanner Marsh, Jaxon Sorenson, and Ryan Drumm accounted for the three Liberty hits in the game.
Saturday Game 3: Liberty 4, NO. 25 West Virginia 1
Liberty responded in the closing game of the series, using a bases-clearing Tanner Marsh triple and a clutch pitching performance to secure a win against the Mountaineers.
Liberty once again looked to Tanner Marsh to spark the offense. With the bases loaded, the junior from Asheboro, NC lined a base hit to center field that the WVU outfielder could not catch on a diving attempt. The ball rolled all the way to the outfield fence as Liberty plated three to go up 3-0 in the second inning. For the third consecutive game, West Virginia would open their scoring in the fifth, cutting the lead to 3-1, but a John Simmons sac fly in the bottom of the sixth would push the Flames’ lead back to three runs.
Starting pitcher Bradley Zayac earned the win after allowing just one run over 4 ⅔ innings. Zayac has recorded a win in each of his two appearances in 2026. He has struck out 11 and walked just one in a very strong start to the season for the ECU transfer. Cooper Harrington followed with a strong 3 ⅓ scoreless innings of his own, but Jake Potts played the hero for the Flames. Potts entered the game in the bottom of the ninth with the bases loaded and no outs. Potts would go on to strike out the side as the Flames secured a win over their Top 25 opponent. The Flames very much personified a “bend, not break” strategy in this game, as Liberty outscored WVU 4-1 in the game despite the Mountaineers recording eight more hits than the Flames (10-2).
UP NEXT: Liberty will stay in Lynchburg for four games this week. The Flames will begin the slate on Wednesday against former Big South rival High Point (5-3) in Liberty’s first midweek game of the year. First pitch will be at 4:00 PM, and the game will be televised on ESPN+. Liberty will then look to Hofstra (0-3) for a three-game series this weekend. The Pride had their series vs Iona cancelled this weekend due to weather, but competed very well against 4th-ranked Mississippi State in the weekend prior, only losing Game 1 by one run and Game 3 by two runs. The Flames and Pride will begin the weekend series at 4:00 PM on Friday. You can watch all three games on ESPN+.
