Liberty’s season came to an end on Thursday evening with a 5-2 loss to 5-seed Louisiana Tech in an elimination game of the 2025 CUSA Baseball Championship. The Flames end their first season under head coach Bradley LeCroy with a 30-27 overall record after finishing 10-17 in conference play and earning the 8th and final seed in this week’s conference tournament held on campus at Liberty Baseball Stadium in Lynchburg, Virginia.
The Flames loaded the bases in the top of the first with one out following three walks. However, Louisiana Tech starting pitcher Logan Forsythe would get Jaxon Sorenson and Landon Scilley to strike out swinging to end the threat. In the home half of the first, Sebastian Mexico led off with a home run to right center field off Liberty starter and ace Ben Blair. The Bulldogs would add two more runs in the frame with a double, walk, throwing error, and a single as they took a 3-0 lead.
Those runs would prove to be enough for Louisiana Tech, who eliminates Liberty and ends the Flames season for a second straight year. Forsythe pitched 4.2 innings while allowing two runs on three hits, walking six, and striking out five. Luke Cooley was sensational in relief, allowing just one hit in 3.1 innings to earn the win, his seventh of the season. Blake Hooks would shut down the Flames in the ninth to earn his ninth save of the year.
Anderson Fulk homered to right center to lead off the top of the second for Liberty, cutting the deficit to 3-1. The Flames would add another after Tanner Marsh and Camden Troyer opened the third with consecutive walks. Marsh would score on an RBI ground out by Nick Barone as the lead was trimmed to one.
After the three-run first inning, Blair would settle in and put up zeroes in four straight innings, giving the Flames a chance to cut into the deficit. With the score remaining at 3-2 entering the bottom of the sixth, Brody Drost tripled into the gap in right center. The next batter, Will Safford, laid down a perfect punt towards the first base line. Blair would field it with his glove and toss it directly from his glove to Liberty catcher Tucker Moore, but Drost got home easily. After LA Tech loaded the bases with one out, LeCroy went to the bullpen with Joseph Webb. He would induce a ground out to shortstop, but it was enough to get a second insurance run in the inning, as the Bulldogs pushed their advantage to 5-2.
Blair finished the night allowing seven hits, five runs, three earned, while walking four and striking out five in 5.1 innings. Webb pitched 2.2 innings of hitless relief.
The Flames got the leadoff man on in the eighth before grounding into a double play. In the ninth, Fulk and pinch-hitter John Simmons walked to bring the tying run to the plate in Michael Roberts. Hooks got the Liberty center fielder to ground to second and into a double play. Easton Swofford then struck out looking to end the game.
