Liberty University
9-6
Western Carolina
7-8
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western Carolina | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Liberty | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | X | 5 | 9 | 0 |
Bean's Complete Game Effort Pushes Flames Past Catamounts
3/13/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Right-hander Parker Bean pitched his first complete game of the year, leading the Liberty Flames past the Western Carolina Catamounts, 5-1, Friday afternoon at the Liberty Baseball Stadium in the second game of the Liberty Invitational.
Bean did not give up a base hit through the first six innings, allowing only two batters to reach. The sophomore went on to toss his first complete game of 2015 and the second of his career. He retired the first nine batters in a row and 16 out of the first 17 batters he faced.
Bean runs his record to 2-1 on the season. He gave up one run on three hits over the full nine. He struck out two Catamounts and walked three.
With their third straight victory, Liberty moves to 9-6 on the year. Western Carolina, who won earlier in the day at the Liberty Invitational over Penn State, drops to 7-8.
The Flames struck for the contest's first run in the third. Right fielder Nick Paxton opened the inning by lining an opposite field triple to the left-center field wall. Second baseman Nick Salisbury followed with a run-producing single for a 1-0 edge.
With Bean keeping Western Carolina in check, Liberty extended its advantage with a pair of two-run innings in the fifth and sixth.
In the fifth, first baseman Alex Close walked and scored on an opposite field double into the right field corner by left fielder Andrew Yacyk. After a Catamount pitching change, shortstop Dalton Britt lined a RBI single through the left side of the infield to give the host Flames a 3-0 lead.
In the sixth, center fielder Aaron Stroosma opened the inning with a singled and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Paxton. After a Salisbury single put Liberty runners at the corners, Close plated both runners with a triple off the top of the left-center field wall for a 5-0 advantage.
Western Carolina broke through for its first hit and lone run of the game in the seventh. Center fielder Bradley Strong led off the inning with the Catamounts' first hit, a single, and advanced to third on a one-out single by right fielder Kramer Ferrell. Third baseman Reece Strong followed with a sacrifice fly for what proved to be the final score of 5-1.
Western Carolina starting pitcher Colton Davis falls to 0-2. The right-hander allowed three runs on five hits over the first four innings. He struck out five batters and walked five.
Liberty collected nine hits. Salisbury and Yacyk each recorded two hits, a RBI and scoring a run for the Flames.
On the second day of the Liberty Invitational, the host will play two games, tomorrow. Liberty will face the Penn State Nittany Lions at 1 p.m., before squaring off once again with Western Carolina at 5 p.m.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Bean, Parker (2-1)
L: Colton Davis (0-2)
Batting:
RBI: Reece Strong 1
SF: Reece Strong 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Bradley Strong 1
Batting:
2B: Yacyk, Andrew 1
3B: Paxton, Nick 1 ; Close, Alex 1
RBI: Salisbury, Nick 1 ; Close, Alex 2 ; Yacyk, Andrew 1 ; Britt, Dalton 1
SH: Paxton, Nick 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Paxton, Nick 1 ; Salisbury, Nick 1 ; Close, Alex 1 ; Yacyk, Andrew 1 ; Stroosma, Aaron 1
SB: Britt, Dalton 1
