After playing seven of the past eight on the road and all of those games against ranked opponents, Liberty returns home this weekend for a three-game series against Austin Peay.
On Wednesday, the Flames picked up a much needed win on the road against the top 25 Old Dominion Monarchs. ODU had started the season at 18-2 but their potent lineup was held mostly in check by Liberty’s David Erickson and Trey Carter helping the Flames to a 9-5 victory in Norfolk.
Liberty led throughout, jumping out to a 6-0 advantage after three innings and never looking back, snapping the Monarchs’ 13-game home winning streak.
Making the first start of his Liberty career, the senior David Erickson allowed two runs on four hits over the first four innings to record the win. Carter held the Monarchs in check the rest of the way. He gave up three runs on three hits over the final five innings while striking out a career-high nine batters.
Shortstop Jake Lazzaro reached base four times and scored twice. Center fielder Jaylen Guy doubled and was twice hit by a pitch. He also scored twice and made a diving catch in right-center field, robbing what would have likely been an RBI double.
Liberty will be looking to build off that momentum this weekend after dropping seven of nine games prior to the win over the Monarchs. The Flames are now 9-11 overall and 1-2 in the ASUN this season entering this weekend’s three-game set against Austin Peay.
The Governors are currently 9-12 on the season. They opened ASUN play last weekend by taking two of three games at home against North Florida. This is Austin Peay’s first season competing in the ASUN after moving from the Ohio Valley. The Governors finished last season with a 19-37 overall record and 10-14 mark in conference play.
Lyle Miller-Green leads Austin Peay with a .333 batting average. He also has 6 doubles, a triple, 4 home runs, and 14 RBIs. Jon Jon Gazdar is second on the team with a .324 average. Garrett Martin leads the team with 8 home runs and 18 RBIs while batting .295.
Lyle Miller-Green and Jacob Kush have each started five games so far this season and are likely to get a start this weekend. Miller-Green is 0-3 with a 6.04 ERA. He has struck out 20 and walked 15 in 22.1 innings pitched. Kush is 2-1 on the season with a 6.53 ERA. He has struck out 24 and walked 15 in 20.2 innings pitched.
Campbell Holt made his first start of the season last week against North Florida. He gave up four runs on six hits in three innings pitched. On the season, Holt is 2-0 with a 4.11 ERA while striking out 19 and walking 6 in 15.1 innings pitched.
This will be the first ever meeting between Liberty and Austin Peay. The three games from Liberty Baseball Stadium this weekend have first pitch scheduled for 4 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday, and 1 p.m. Sunday.
