Liberty baseball is off to a 2-2 start after dropping a series at South Carolina and picking up a home win over #20 Wake Forest.
The extra-inning exploits of Will Wagner led the Flames to a 6-5, extra inning win over the Gamecocks in the season opener. The Flames were trounced, 13-7, in game two, and the rubber match fell South Carolina’s way, 3-2, as a walk off loss chased the Flames out of Columbia.
Tuesday, the Flames played host to #20 Wake Forest. Chilly temperatures didn’t faze the home crowd of 1,314, and the Flames had plenty to show their fan-base in a 9-3 upending of the Demon Deacons.
Wake Forest raced to a quick 2-0 lead behind RBI singles by sophomores Michael Ludowig and Bobby Seymour. The Flames responded in the bottom of the 3rd with a sac fly by Jonathan Embry and a two-run wild pitch, putting the Flames up by one run heading into the 4th.
A 4th-inning RBI walk by Logan Mathieu plated Jaylen Guy to put the Flames up by two. The score remained 4-2 until the bottom of the 7th when Ayden Karraker stroked a two-RBI double into the gap, which gave Liberty a comfortable 6-2 lead heading into the 8th inning.
Wake Forest scratched a run in the top of the 8th, but the Flames plated two more in the bottom of the inning to put the game out of reach. Sophomore lefty Mason Meyer tossed 7 1/3 innings for Liberty, surrendering three runs (two unearned) and five hits while walking one with five strikeouts. The Flames were paced by Ludowig and Chris Lanzelli with two hits apiece.
The Flames will host a three-game set with Delaware this weekend before traveling to Tennessee Tuesday. Friday’s first pitch is slated for 3:00.
