Friday, April 18
Lynchburg, Va.
7:00 PM
Liberty University
19-18, 7-3
8
vs
0
VMI
19-18, 9-4
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VMI | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 |
| LIBERTY | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | X | 8 | 8 | 0 |
Stokes Posts Strong Outing in 8-0 Liberty Win
4/18/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Liberty starter David Stokes pitched eight scoreless innings, leading the Flames past the VMI Keydets, 8-0, Friday night at Worthington Stadium.
The win, the first Liberty shutout of the 2008 season, moves the Flames to 7-3 in the Big South Conference and 19-18 overall. VMI drops to 9-4 in conference play and 19-18 overall.
Andrew Wilson (Jr., RHP, Cary, N.C.) pitched a scoreless ninth inning to combine with Stokes (Sr., RHP, Locust Grove, Okla.) for the first shutout by the Liberty pitching staff since May 25, 2007. That day, the Flames recorded an 11-0 victory over Winthrop in an elimination game at the Big South Championship.
Liberty staked itself to a 2-0 advantage in the bottom of the first inning. The Flames used three-straight singles to open the contest in plating their first run of the evening. Kenneth Negron (Jr., 2B, Kingwood, Texas) and Errol Hollinger (Jr., C, Upland, Calif.) led off with singles. Right fielder P.K. Keller (Sr., Clearwater, Fla.) then scored Negron with a single for a 1-0 lead. A double play grounder brought Hollinger home for the second run of the inning.
In the third frame, the Flames upped their advantage with a solo run. Hollinger began the inning by lacing his first career triple off the center field wall. Two batters later, David Giammaresi (Sr., 1B, Coral Springs, Fla.) lifted a sacrifice fly, scoring the Liberty catcher.
The Flames extended their lead in the fourth. Cody Brown (Jr., 3B, Coral Springs, Fla.) opened the home half of the inning with a ground rule double. After the next two batters were retired, Liberty loaded the bases on a walk and a hit batter. The next batter, Negron, then received a free pass, forcing in the first run of the frame. A fielding error by Keydet third baseman Trevor Biagini on a Hollinger grounder allowed Liberty to make it, 5-0.
Liberty added two more tallies in the next stanza. Giammaresi beat out an infield single and Brown walked to lead off the inning. Designated hitter Garrett Young (Sr., Fountain Valley, Calif.) followed with a bases-clearing double for a 7-0 Flames lead.
Meanwhile, Stokes kept the VMI hitters off balance through the first eight innings of the contest, upping his mark to 5-3. The senior right-hander held the Keydets scoreless, scattering five hits and striking out nine. He walked one batter.
Aaron Phillips (Sr., SS, Claremore, Okla.) lined a solo home run inside the left field foul pole in the eighth for the final score of 8-0. The round tripper was the shortstop's fourth of the year.
VMI starter Chris Henderson took the loss to fall to 5-4 on the year. The right-hander gave up four runs on five hits, before leaving the game in the third with one out due to an injury.
Hollinger had two hits in the game for the Flames. Designated hitter Thane Smith had two hits for the Keydets.
The two teams will meet again tomorrow afternoon at Worthington Stadium in the middle game of the three-game Big South Conference series. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.
--LibertyFlames.com--
The win, the first Liberty shutout of the 2008 season, moves the Flames to 7-3 in the Big South Conference and 19-18 overall. VMI drops to 9-4 in conference play and 19-18 overall.
Andrew Wilson (Jr., RHP, Cary, N.C.) pitched a scoreless ninth inning to combine with Stokes (Sr., RHP, Locust Grove, Okla.) for the first shutout by the Liberty pitching staff since May 25, 2007. That day, the Flames recorded an 11-0 victory over Winthrop in an elimination game at the Big South Championship.
Liberty staked itself to a 2-0 advantage in the bottom of the first inning. The Flames used three-straight singles to open the contest in plating their first run of the evening. Kenneth Negron (Jr., 2B, Kingwood, Texas) and Errol Hollinger (Jr., C, Upland, Calif.) led off with singles. Right fielder P.K. Keller (Sr., Clearwater, Fla.) then scored Negron with a single for a 1-0 lead. A double play grounder brought Hollinger home for the second run of the inning.
In the third frame, the Flames upped their advantage with a solo run. Hollinger began the inning by lacing his first career triple off the center field wall. Two batters later, David Giammaresi (Sr., 1B, Coral Springs, Fla.) lifted a sacrifice fly, scoring the Liberty catcher.
The Flames extended their lead in the fourth. Cody Brown (Jr., 3B, Coral Springs, Fla.) opened the home half of the inning with a ground rule double. After the next two batters were retired, Liberty loaded the bases on a walk and a hit batter. The next batter, Negron, then received a free pass, forcing in the first run of the frame. A fielding error by Keydet third baseman Trevor Biagini on a Hollinger grounder allowed Liberty to make it, 5-0.
Liberty added two more tallies in the next stanza. Giammaresi beat out an infield single and Brown walked to lead off the inning. Designated hitter Garrett Young (Sr., Fountain Valley, Calif.) followed with a bases-clearing double for a 7-0 Flames lead.
Meanwhile, Stokes kept the VMI hitters off balance through the first eight innings of the contest, upping his mark to 5-3. The senior right-hander held the Keydets scoreless, scattering five hits and striking out nine. He walked one batter.
Aaron Phillips (Sr., SS, Claremore, Okla.) lined a solo home run inside the left field foul pole in the eighth for the final score of 8-0. The round tripper was the shortstop's fourth of the year.
VMI starter Chris Henderson took the loss to fall to 5-4 on the year. The right-hander gave up four runs on five hits, before leaving the game in the third with one out due to an injury.
Hollinger had two hits in the game for the Flames. Designated hitter Thane Smith had two hits for the Keydets.
The two teams will meet again tomorrow afternoon at Worthington Stadium in the middle game of the three-game Big South Conference series. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.
--LibertyFlames.com--
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Stokes, David (5-3)
L: HENDERSON, Chris (5-4)
Batting:
SH: GEISSLINGER, Shane 1
Base Running:
HBP: ROBERTS, Mike 1
Batting:
2B: Brown, Cody 1 ; Young, Garrett 1
3B: Hollinger, Errol 1
HR: Phillips, Aaron 1
RBI: Negron, Kenneth 1 ; Keller, P.K. 2 ; Young, Garrett 1 ; Phillips, Aaron 1
SF: Keller, P.K. 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Negron, Kenneth 1 ; Hollinger, Errol 2 ; Giammaresi, David 1 ; Brown, Cody 2 ; Bream, Doug 1 ; Phillips, Aaron 1
HBP: Negron, Kenneth 1 ; Feeley, Joseph 1 ; Phillips, Aaron 1
Game Leaders
AB
5
R
2
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
2
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
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