It was a good weekend at Liberty Baseball Stadium for the Flames, picking up a sweep to record the team’s first series win in conference play this season. The three wins over Middle Tennessee help improve Liberty’s record to 22-11 overall and 5-4 in conference play.
TUESDAY: CHARLOTTE 5, LIBERTY 3
It was the first meeting in 30 years for the two programs on the diamond. There was an hour and 15 minute delay between the third and fourth innings due to a lighting issue. A bank of lights behind the visiting dugout along the third base line went off. The 49ers broke a 3-3 tie on a 7th inning home run by shortstop Connor Maryniak and then added an insurance run in the 8th to help them past the Flames at home. Charlotte took a 3-0 lead over the first two innings only to see Liberty strike for three in the 3rd to tie the game.
DH Michael Gibson, making his first start for Liberty, had two hits and drove in two runs. Tanner Marsh also had two hits and scored a run. Jaxon Sorenson joined them with two hits himself.
Liberty used five pitchers in the game. They combed to strike out nine and walk three. Jack Frankel picked up the loss, falling to 4-2 on the season. The freshman allowed one run on two hits over 3.2 innings. He struck out four and did not issue a free pass. He retired eight batters in a row during his outing.
FRIDAY: LIBERTY 13, MTSU 3 (8 innings)
The Flames scored four runs in the first inning and never looked back, picking up a run-rule victory over Middle Tennessee on Friday in the series opener. Liberty batted around in the first inning, striking for four runs on a two-run double by Nick Barone and a two-run single by Seth Christmas. The Flames then tacked on two runs in the third and three in the 4th to take a commanding lead. The win snapped a three-game losing skid for the Flames.
Liberty starter Dylan Mathiesen was in control throughout his outing. He yielded one run over a career-high six innings, scattering three hits. He is now 2-1 on the year and the CUSA leader in strikeouts. He struck out six and walked one and now has 64 strikeouts in 43 innings pitched, lowering his ERA to 3.77.
Callum Early had five hits and two RBI while also scoring twice. He becomes the first Flame since 2023 with five or more hits in a game and the first Flame to do it at Liberty Baseball Stadium since 2021. Seth Christmas drove in a season-high four runs with two hits, including his first home run of the season. Camden Troyer added four hits and hit his sixth home run of the year. He also scored four runs and was a triple away from hitting for the cycle. All nine men in the Flames’ batting order had at least one hit in the game. The team’s 18 hits are the most by the Flames this season.
SATURDAY: LIBERTY 5, MTSU 4 (10 innings)
Seth Christmas led off the bottom of the 10th inning with a home run to give the Flames a walk-off victory over the Blue Raiders. It helped Liberty to its first series win in conference play so far this season.
Kenny McKinley broke up a pitcher’s duel between Ben Blair and Middle Tennessee’s Drew Horn in the 5th with a two-run home run to stake the Blue Raiders to a 2-0 lead. Two innings later, the Flames answered with four runs in the 7th to take a 4-2 advantage. MTSU would tie the game with two runs in the top of the 9th.
Blair allowed two runs on three hits over 7 innings. He struck out 11 and walked two. He tied career highs with seven innings pitched and 11 strikeouts. Joseph Webb recorded his second win of the season out of the bullpen. He gave up two runs on two hits over three innings while striking out three and not issuing a walk.
SUNDAY: LIBERTY 12, MTSU 2 (8 innings)
Liberty’s offense exploded in a big way in the series finale on Sunday. The Flames belted seven home runs on the day and scored in five of the first six innings to build a commanding 11-2 lead before cruising to the victory. Jaxon Sorenson’s solo home run in the bottom of the 8th allowed the Flames to walk it off with another run-rule victory.
The Flames took the lead in the first as Nick Barone hit a ball to deep left field that resulted in a long RBI single, scoring Cal Early. Tanner Marsh would start the home run derby in the bottom of the third with a solo shot, to extend Liberty’s lead to 2-0. After the Blue Raiders narrowed the gap to 2-1, Liberty right fielder Camden Troyer threw out the potential tying run at the plate in the top of the 4th to end the frame. Troyer then led off the bottom of the fourth with a solo shot to right field. Landon Scilley added to the offensive barage with a two-run home run, pushing the Liberty advantage to 5-1.
The Flames went to the bullpen in the 5th where the Blue Raiders would cut the deficit to 5-2 and had the bases loaded with one of their top hitters, Kenny McKinley, stepping into the batter’s box. Liberty reliever Josh McCusker was able to get McKinley to pop up and end the threat.
Barone’s home run in the 5th made it 6-2 before the Flames put it away with a five-spot in the bottom of the 6th, pushing their lead to 11-2. The frame included Scilley’s second home run of the day and a home run by Early.
Jake Potts made the start for the Flames. He pitched four innings and scattered four hits while allowing one run, striking out four, and walking two. Jack Frankel was the first reliever, recording two outs while allowing one run. McCusker then pitched 1.1 scoreless innings before Tyler August pitched two scoreless innings.
Up Next: There is no mid-week contest for Liberty this week as the Flames do not return to action until Friday. Liberty will welcome Western Kentucky to Liberty Baseball Stadium for a three-game series beginning Friday at 6 p.m.
Current CUSA Standings
Louisiana Tech…….6-2, 20-12
Western Kentucky…6-3, 27-5
Liberty…………………5-4, 22-11
Dallas Baptist……..5-4, 20-11
NMSU…………………..5-4, 17-15
Jax State……………..5-4, 21-11
FIU………………………4-4, 20-12
Kennesaw State……4-5, 13-19
Middle Tenn………….2-7, 15-16
Sam Houston……….2-7, 8-24
