Liberty picked up wins on Thursday and Friday over visiting Central Arkansas to secure the series victory. The Flames were unable to secure the team’s first series sweep of the season, falling on Sunday. Liberty is currently 14-17 on the season and has evened their record in the ASUN at 6-6.
Thursday: Liberty 4, Central Arkansas 2
Central Arkansas scored two runs on one hit in the first inning but that would be all the damage they would do in the series opener. Liberty starter Garrett Horn struck out a season high 10 and walked four in his six innings of work. Horn and Trey Carter combined to hold the Bears to just two hits on the night.
Carter took over in the seventh and pitched three scoreless innings to earn a save. He gave up one hit, striking out four and walking one.
After leaving the bases loaded in the fifth, Liberty broke a 2-2 tie in the sixth inning. Jaylen Guy singled and then stole second base with one out. Victor Castillo singled up the middle to bring in Guy while Cam Foster singled through the right side of the infield to move Castillo to third. Jake Lazzaro’s RBI single scored Castillo for what proved to be the final score of 4-2.
Friday: Liberty 11, Central Arkansas 6
The Flames posted five-run innings in the fourth and the sixth to pull away from the Bears in the victory. Flames left fielder Kane Kepley led all hitters in the contest with three hits. The freshman drove in a run and scored three times in the game. Center fielder Jaylen Guy and right fielder Camden Troyer each had three RBI in the contest of the Flames.
Liberty starting pitcher Garrett Gainey worked into the seventh inning in the contest. He allowed three unearned runs before leaving with two outs in the seventh.
Tied at 1, Liberty struck for five runs in the fourth. Victor Castillo, Cam Foster, and Jake Lazzarro all reached on infield singles to load the bases. The Flames took the lead as Kane Kepley and Brayden Horton walked. Troyer followed with an RBI single, driving in Lazzaro and Kepley. Then Jaylen Guy made it 6-1 with a run-scoring ground out.
Saturday: Central Arkansas 9, Liberty 3
Looking for the team’s first sweep of the season, the Flames jumped on top of the Bears on Saturday in the series finale. Liberty plated three runs in the bottom of the third to break the scoreless tie. Camden Troyer and Three Hillier drove in the runs.
The Flames would struggle defensively on the afternoon, finishing with six errors. After scoring two in the fifth off Liberty starter Mikey Tepper, Central Arkansas scored seven runs, all unearned in the sixth and seventh off relievers David Erickson and Cole Hertzler.
Up Next: The Flames will head on the road now for five straight, beginning Tuesday night at 7 p.m. in Blacksburg against Virginia Tech. The Hokies are currently 18-11 on the season and 5-9 in ACC play following a series split of two games with Duke this past weekend. Weather affected the series against the Blue Devils with the two teams playing a double-header on Sunday. This will be the first of two games between the in-state opponents as Virginia Tech will travel to Lynchburg for a game scheduled for May 10.
