Liberty opened conference play at home over the weekend, sweeping the Kennesaw State Owls in three games. The Lady Flames are now 20-4 overall and 3-0 in CUSA play while also improving to 12-1 at home following a 13-game home stand. Liberty has now won all nine of its conference series since joining CUSA last year. Liberty has reached its 20th win faster than in any other season in program history. Prior to this year, the fastest the Lady Flames reached 20 wins was in their 25th game of the 1996 season.
FRIDAY: #22 LIBERTY 10, KENNESAW STATE 4
In the series opener, Liberty scored eight unanswered runs to rally for the win on Friday at Liberty Softball Stadium. The win was the 400th career coaching victory for head coach Dot Richardson in her 12th year at the helm of the Flames. She becomes the second head coach in Liberty softball history with 400 or more career wins, joining Paul Wetmore.
The Owls took advantage of a Liberty error in the top of the third, taking a 4-2 lead with four unearned runs after two outs. The Lady Flames would responded with a game-tying two-run homer from Brynn McManus in the bottom of the third. Savannah Woodard then hit a three-run inside-the-park home run in the fourth. Rachel Roupe hit a three-run home run in the i6th to remove all doubt and set the final score at 10-4. Liberty recorded season highs in both hits (14) and home runs (3). Elena Escobar earned the win, tossing 4.1 innings of two hit relief with one walk and eight strikeouts. Paige Bachman got the start, pitched 2.2 innings while allowing four unearned runs on six hits with three strikeouts. Woodard was 3 for 4 with a homer, three RBI and two runs scored while Rachel Roupe was 2 for 4 with a homer, three RBI and two runs. Brynn McManus was 2 for 3 with a homer, two RBI and two runs.
SATURDAY: #22 LIBERTY 3, KENNESAW STATE 2
Liberty had to hold off a 7th inning rally by Kennesaw State to hang on to the 3-2 win to secure the series win. Liberty built a 3-0 lead with an RBI single from KK Madrey in the 4th and a two-run single from Rachel Roupe in the 5th. Kaylan Yoder was able to pitch her way out of a bases loaded jam in the 7th and was one out away from the shutout before surrendering a two-run single in the top of the 7th. Elena Escobar came on to strike out the final battler and nail down the save. The two runs allowed in the 7th were the first earned runs Liberty had allowed in its prior 28 innings pitched.
Yoder would earn the win, allowing two runs on five hits while walking five and striking out a career high 11 batters in 6.2 innings pitched. Rachel Roupe was 2 for 3 with a double and two RBI while KK Madrey batted 2 for 3 with one stolen base and one RBI. Savannah Whatley doubled and scored.
SUNDAY: #22 LIBERTY 13, KENNESAW STATE 0 (5 INNINGS)
Liberty backed a two-hit shutout by senior Elena Escobar with a 13-run outburst to defeat the Owls in five innings to close out the series sweep. The Flames carried a 2-0 lead into the 3rd inning before exploding for a six-run third and five run fourth. Escobar struck out seven and allowed just two hits in her shutout effort. Freshman Alexia Carrasquillo went 2 for 3 with her first two career homers, four RBI, and two runs scored. Rachel Roupe was 2 for 3 with a double, three RBI and one run. Brooke Roberts hit 2 for 3 with a homer, three RBI and two runs. KK Madrey and Savannah Woodard both went 2 for 3 with two runs scored. The Flames are now 21-6 in the all-time series against Kennesaw State. The 13 runs Liberty scored are its most in a CUSA regular season game. The 13-run win is the team’s largest winning margin in a conference game since beating Radford 17-3 in five innings on April 28, 2000.
ON TAP
After a long home stand, Liberty now hits the road to begin a 10-game road swing. The Flames will be in Huntington, West Virginia on Tuesday to take on Marshall at 6 p.m. before heading to take on Western Kentucky for a three-game series in Bowling Green, Kentucky beginning Friday at 7 p.m.
