The Liberty Flames opened the 2024 season in impressive fashion, sweeping Quinnipiac to begin the year at 3-0. Its the first sweep in an opening season series since sweeping VCU at Liberty Baseball Stadium to begin the 2018 series.

UNF transfer Aidan Sweatt had two or more hits in each game of the series, as he opens the season hitting .636 (7 for 11) while Kane Kepley posted a .706 on base percentage during the weekend. Five Flames – Sweatt, Kepley, Noah Rabon, Camden Troyer, and Macaddin Dye – had at least one hit in each of the three games in the series.

FRIDAY: LIBERTY 10, QUINNIPIAC 0

The Liberty Flames opened the new season with a shutout win over Quinnipiac on Friday afternoon at Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium. The Flames picked up a hit from every player in the batting order and four pitchers combined for the shutout.

Making his first collegiate start, right-hander Cole Hertzler pitched six innings to record the win, pitching six innings while scattering five hits and seven strikeouts without walking a batter. Brandon Dahlman, Ben Roberts, and Dylan Mathiesen each pitched an inning of scoreless relief.

Right fielder Cam Troyer led the Flames with three hits, including a three-run home run and scored three times. DH Todd Hudson had two hits and also belted a three-run home run. Aidan Sweatt, a transfer from North Florida, had two hits and scored twice. The second baseman reached base in four of his five plate appearances and walked twice.

Troyer’s three-run home run in the first scored Sweatt and Kane Kepley as the Flames jumped on top to begin the game. Two runs added to the margin in the third and a two-run RBI single from Cam Foster extended the lead to 7-0 in the 4th.

SATURDAY: LIBERTY 16, QUINNIPIAC 7

Liberty scored in each of the first six innings and eased past the Bobcats on Saturday afternoon. Left fielder Noah Rabon had four hits and two doubles while driving in six runs as the Flames had 18 hits in the contest. Aidan Sweatt went 3 for 3 and had four RBI while center fielder Kane Kepley reached base five out of his six plate appearances with two hits and three walks, scoring four times.

Garrett Horn picked up the win, allowing three runs on four hits over 4.2 innings. He struck out seven and walked two. Five Liberty pitchers followed Horn in relief.

The Flames raced out to a 7-0 lead by the end of the third inning. Rabon’s double brought in two in the first while he scored on a Cam Foster ground out to exit the first inning with a three run lead.  Two runs scored on a Rabon double in the second and Foster scored on a Brian McClellin sac fly in the fourth as the score extended to 7-0.

Liberty scored in every inning except the seventh and scored two or more runs in five of the eight innings they batted. Rabon becomes the first Liberty player to have four or more hits in a game since Kepley tied the school record with six in a 15-12 win at Eastern Kentucky on May 13, 2023.

SUNDAY: LIBERTY 10, QUINNIPIAC 5

Trailing by one, the Liberty Flames struck for six runs in the seventh inning to complete the three game series sweep on Sunday afternoon.

The visiting Bobcats pushed across an unearned run in the top of the seventh to take a 5-4 lead, only to see the Flames take advantage of an error and bat around in the bottom of the inning, plating six runs to take the lead.

Kepley went 4 for 5 with a walk and scored twice in the contest while catcher Macaddin Dye had two hits, including his first collegiate home run, and drove in three runs. Rabon drove in three runs, as well, and gave the Flames the lead with a two-out, two-run double in the seventh inning.

Reliever Dylan Mathiesen picked up his first win in a Liberty uniform, holding Quinnipiac scoreless over the final 2.2 innings.

Up Next: The Flames will head to Durham on Wednesday to take on the Duke Blue Devils with first pitch scheduled for 4 p.m. on ESPN+. Liberty then returns home for a three-game series against Hofstra. Game time Friday is 4 p.m., Saturday is set for 2 p.m, and first pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Sunday.

Current CUSA Standings

Louisiana Tech……4-0
Liberty…………………3-0
Dallas Baptist……..3-0
FIU………………………3-0
Jax State……………..2-1
Middle Tenn………….2-1
NMSU…………………..2-1
Sam Houston……….2-1
Western Kentucky…2-1