Liberty softball won its 15th straight conference series since joining Conference USA prior to last season. The Lady Flames picked up the first win of the series at home against Sam Houston on Thursday evening before dropping game two and then coming back to win the rubber match Saturday in exciting fashion. The Lady Flames are now 38-10 on the season and 17-3 in conference play.

THURSDAY: #22 LIBERTY 9, SAM HOUSTON 4

Liberty jumped ahead 5-1 after scoring three runs in the first and two more in the second. The Bearkats would narrow the gap to 6-4 with a two-run sixth inning, but the Lady Flames would put the game out of reach with three runs in the home half. Seven of Liberty’s 10 hits in the game went for extra bases.

Paige Bachman earned the win, allowing two unearned runs on four hits in 3.1 innings. Liberty starter Kaylan Yoder allowed two runs on three hits while walking four and striking out five in 3.2 innings. Rachel Roupe went 3 for 4 with two doubles, two RBi and one run scored. Brynn McManus and Brooke Roberts both homered and drove in three runs each while KK Madren was 1 for 3 and stole her 38th base of the season to put her in sole possession of second place all-time at Liberty with 81 stolen bases during her time at Liberty.

FRIDAY: SAM HOUSTON 3, #22 LIBERTY 1

Liberty got its first two batteres of the game on base in the bottom of the first and would manage one run on a Brooke Roberts RBI ground out. From there, the Liberty bats were silenced as the Bearkats came from behind to even the series. Sam Houston jumped ahead on a two-run homer by Allie Saville in the fourth inning before adding a sixth-inning insurance run. Bearkat starting pitcher Abigail Young pitched around a two-out walk, getting a strikeout to end the game in the seventh.

Kaylan Yoder drew the loss to fall to 7-4 on the season. She gave up three runs on six hits while walking three and striking out eight in six innings. Paige Bachman pitched one scoreless inning of relief. Five different Lady Flames had one hit apiece, all singles.

SATURDAY: #22 LIBERTY 7, SAM HOUSTON 4

Liberty scored three insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth on RBI singles by Savannah Woodard and Rachel Roupe and a sacrifice fly from Brynn McManus. The Lady Flames led 7-1 entering the seventh inning. After the Bearkats narrowed the gape to 7-2 on an RBI double, Paige Bachman entered the circle in relief of Elena Escobar. Sam Houston would score two unearned runs and had the bases loaded with two outs, trailing 7-4. Samantha Graeter sent a grounder into the hole at shortstop where Liberty’s JaMaya Byrum made an athletic fielder’s choice for the game-ending out throwing the ball to third to just barely get the runner out.

Escobar got the win to move to 17-3 on the season. She allowed four runs on five hits, walking one and striking out eight in six innings. Bachman pitched one inning of one hit relief. Escobar has been dealing with an injury as she’s been wearing a boot on her foot on the days she isn’t pitching.

Rachel Craine went 3 for 3 with a double while Savannah Woodard was 2 for 3 with two RBI and two runs scored. Roupe was 2 for 2 with one RBI and a run scored. Brynn McManus was 2 for 3 with a double and two RBI.

ON TAP

Liberty is back in action this week in Ruston, Louisiana taking on Louisiana Tech. The three-game CUSA series gets underway Friday at 7 p.m. Eastern.

CUSA STANDINGS

Liberty……………….17-3, 38-10
LA Tech……………..14-7, 28-18
Sam Houston…..12-9, 24-23
Jax State……………12-9, 30-18
FIU……………………..11-10, 29-17
WKU………………….10-10, 24-19
MTSU………………..10-11, 22-24
NMSU……………….9-12, 22-22
UTEP…………………8-13, 19-24
Kennesaw………..1-20, 10-37