For the second time in program history, the Liberty softball team advanced to an NCAA Regional Final, but the Lady Flames season would come to an end on Sunday afternoon in Knoxville, Tennessee. No. 3 seed in the region James Madison was able to outlast the No.2 seed Liberty (44-15) and pull out a come from behind 8-5 win as the Dukes (37-1) advance to the Super Regionals where they will play at No. 8 seed Missouri.
After falling to JMU Friday afternoon in the first game of of the Knoxville Regional, 4-3 in 10 innings, Liberty faced a do-or-die situation each time out. The Lady Flames come through in the clutch with two wins on Saturday, first defeating Eastern Kentucky 5-1 and the No. 9 seed and regional host Tennessee 6-4, eliminating both teams. Those two wins brought Liberty and head coach Dot Richardson to Sunday where the Lady Flames would need to win two straight games over JMU, a team that hadn’t lost a game since March 27 in their only loss of the season so far.
Liberty would get the start the team needed against JMU ace Odicci Alexander as Denay Griffin blasted a two-run home run with two-outs in the bottom of the first to give the Lady Flames a 2-0 lead, the team’s first time leading the Dukes after trailing or being tied during the entire game Friday. After JMU tacked on a single run in the top of the second, Kara Canetto blasted a solo shot over the right field fence giving Liberty a 3-1 lead at the end of three innings.
The score would remain the same as Karlie Keeney was in the circle for the Lady Flames and kept JMU’s bat at bay. Things fell apart for Liberty in the top of the fifth inning though, as the Dukes broke free with a five run inning to take a 6-3 lead. Keeney, Megan Johnson, Emily Kirby, and Keeney again all attempted to stop the bleeding in the frame.
Liberty would add a run in the bottom of the fifth on a two-out single from Canetto to bring the score within two at 6-4, but JMU tacked on a two-run home run int he top of the sixth as the game got out of reach for the Lady Flames at 8-4. JMU would score seven runs over the two innings in the fifth and the sixth to provide all the separation they would need.
In the bottom of the seventh, Amber Bishop-Riley connected on a pitch and drive over the outfield wall in center field in her final at bat of her Liberty career, the 19th home run for Bishop-Riley this season, to finish the game with the final score of 8-5.
*photo courtesy ASUN sports
