Liberty Takes Series at Kennesaw State After Midweek Setbacks

Liberty faced a challenging midweek stretch against Top 25 competition, falling to Wake Forest and Virginia, before bouncing back to win its first Conference USA series against Kennesaw State in Georgia over the weekend. Liberty finishes the week at 2-3, moving to 15-8 overall and 3-3 in CUSA play.

Tuesday: Liberty 0, No. 24 Wake Forest 11

The 24th-ranked Demon Deacons took care of the Flames on Tuesday, run-ruling Liberty 11-0. 

The Flames kept things close for most of the game, as two Demon Deacon runs in the second and third innings were the only marks on the scoreboard until the seventh inning. Wake Forest erupted for nine runs in what would be the final inning of the game, defeating Liberty on Tuesday night. 

Jake Potts took the loss for the Flames, allowing two runs over three innings. Liberty issued nine walks and hit four batters in what was a rough outing for Liberty’s pitching staff.

Liberty only managed one single hit in the game, coming from Jordan Jaffe in the first inning. Aside from that, the Flames managed just one walk and got shut out by Wake’s Cameron Bagwell as the Flames fell to 13-6 on the season.

Wednesday: Liberty 12, No. 9 Virginia 14

Liberty came oh so close to completing a comeback versus 9th-ranked Virginia on Wednesday.

The Flames fell behind 9-0 after just two innings, and the Cavaliers extended it to a 14-4 lead before the sixth inning. Liberty would not waver, as the Flames plated four runs in the seventh and tacked on two more in the eighth thanks to Riley DeCandido’s second homer of the game.

Cooper Harrington and Tyler August held Virginia scoreless for the three innings they pitched, allowing the Flames offense a chance to get back in the game. Sorenson and Barone drove in a couple more runs in the bottom of the ninth as the Flames crept up on the Cavaliers. lead. The Flames had the go-ahead run on base, but Virginia thwarted the Flames comeback bid as the Wahoos won, 14-12.

Liberty totaled a season-high 17 hits in the contest, led by four RBI from DeCandido, and three hits apiece from Jordan Jaffe, Jaxon Sorenson, and Nick Barone. Liberty outhit Virginia 17-9, and on top of that, the Flames left 13 men on base as opposed to four for UVA. While the Flames lost the game, there is no doubt a win was within reach for Liberty, who nonetheless dropped to 0-2 in their midweek games. 

Friday Game 1: Liberty 2, Kennesaw State 0

Liberty took Game 1 over the Owls in Kennesaw, GA, when the Flames broke a scoreless tie in the 10th inning Friday night to win 2-0.

The Liberty pitching staff excelled Friday night, as the Liberty arms threw a shutout and only allowed three hits in the contest. Liberty starter Ben Blair tossed seven scoreless innings, striking out eight, while Tyler August earned the win with 2 2/3 hitless innings in relief. 

Josh Swink recorded the final out in the 10th to secure the save for the Flames. Josh Campos delivered the go-ahead solo home run in the 10th, followed by a Ryan Drumm scoring off a Jordan Jaffe single. Tyler August and Josh Swink closed out the win for the Flames, as Liberty won in extra innings. 

Saturday Game 2: Liberty 11, Kennesaw State 5

Liberty scored four runs in the first inning and never trailed in an 11-5 victory over Kennesaw State to secure the series win at Mickey Dunn Stadium.

Liberty’s bats recorded eight hits while also taking advantage of nine walks and a wild pitch, scoring eleven runs. Campos homered for the second straight day, while Barone drove in three runs and Jaxon Sorenson collected two hits, drove in a run, and scored four times in the win. The third baseman now has five multi-hit games on the season.

Jake Potts earned the win with three scoreless innings in relief, retiring all nine batters he faced. Cooper Harrington recorded the save as Liberty improved to 15-7 on the season and secured its first Conference USA series victory.

Sunday Game 3: Liberty 3, Kennesaw State 4

The Owls avoided a series sweep on Sunday afternoon, thanks to three runs in the final two innings, including a walk-off two-out single in the bottom of the ninth.

The Flames built a 3-1 lead through seven innings behind a strong outing from Bradley Zayac. Jaxon Sorenson drove in the first run with an RBI double in the opening inning, and Landon Scilley added his first home run of the season in the sixth to extend the lead.

Kennesaw State tied the game in the eighth inning with an RBI double before walking it off in the ninth.

Josh Swink took the loss, allowing three runs in 1.2 innings pitched, while Tanner Marsh recorded his ninth multi-hit game of the season. With the loss, Liberty fell to 15-8 overall and 3-3 in conference play.  

UP NEXT: Liberty (15-8) (3-3) will return to Lynchburg for four games this week. The Flames will begin the homestand on Tuesday with Round 2 against UNCG (11-14). The Flames defeated the Spartans 12-10 in Greensboro earlier this month. First pitch is scheduled for 4:00 PM, and the game will be televised on ESPN+. Liberty will then welcome the Panthers of Florida International (8-17) (1-5) to the Mountain for the weekend slate. The Panthers are reeling right now, winning just one of their last 11 games, including dropping series to conference foes Western Kentucky and Sam Houston. Liberty will seek to win back-to-back CUSA series for the first time since the 2024 season. First pitch for the weekend series is scheduled for Friday at 4:00 PM. The entire series will be scheduled on ESPN+. 

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