Liberty Posts 8-4 Win Over Runnin' Bulldogs
3/14/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Liberty jumped out to an 8-0 lead on Saturday, hitting a season-high three homers before holding off Gardner-Webb, 8-4, to sweep a Big South-opening doubleheader.
The Lady Flames improve to 9-11, 2-0 in Big South play, with their fourth win in a row. Saturday marked Liberty's first doubleheader sweep since March 22, 2013 against Presbyterian. Gardner-Webb falls to 6-13, 0-2 in conference games.
In addition to their season-high three homers, the Lady Flames tied a season best with 12 base hits.
Five different Lady Flames (freshmen Madison Kotchey and Alexia Taylor, junior Mickey Loveridge and seniors Kelby Allen and Megan Robinson) recorded two hits apiece. Taylor doubled, homered and drove in five runs, becoming the first Lady Flame with five RBI in a single game since Jamie Crisp on April 24, 2014 against East Tennessee State. Kotchey hit her first career home run, while Loveridge homered as well.
For Gardner-Webb, seniors Kellie Beres and Savannah Burns both had two hits, along with freshman Rachel Cumiskey.
Liberty redshirt sophomore Kenzie Friesen evened her season record at 2-2, allowing four runs on eight hits with five strikeouts and four walks in 6 2/3 innings pitched. Redshirt junior Chandler Ball earned her first save with a strikeout in 1/3 inning of work.
Runnin' Bulldog freshman Sam Harrell (1-3) gave up five runs on six hits in 2 1/3 innings, while striking out one batter and walking one. Sophomore Summer Darnell allowed two runs on five hits in 3 2/3 innings pitched, while freshman Allie Barrick pitched one inning, giving up one run on one hit.
The Lady Flames jumped ahead quickly with a pair of runs in the top of the first. Singles by freshman Tori Zavodny and Loveridge and a walk to Allen loaded the bases with one out before Allen hit a two-run double to left. Harrell got out of the inning with a lineout and a groundout.
Friesen worked around a two-out triple by Cumiskey, holding the Runnin' Bulldogs off the board in the top of the first.
Robinson and Allen hit back-to-back singles to lead off the third. Taylor hit a three-run blast to left, making it 5-0, Lady Flames with one out. Darnell then came on in relief of Harrell. Kotchey and freshman Madi Clarke both singled, before a 9-5 double play ended the inning.
Liberty tacked on a run with a two-out rally in the top of the fourth. Robinson doubled and Allen drove her in with a single to center, boosting the lead to 6-0.
Friesen retired eight batters in a row, spanning the first through fourth innings, before Cumiskey singled up the middle. The Liberty right-hander quickly got the next two batters out.
Kotchey extended the Lady Flames' advantage to seven runs by hitting a solo shot to center with one out in the top of the fifth, good for her first career homer.
After Burns' leadoff single in the fifth, Friesen fanned the next three batters in order, keeping the shutout alive.
Loveridge led off the seventh inning with a homer to left off of reliever Barrick, good for an 8-0 cushion.
The Runnin' Bulldogs filled the bases with no outs in the bottom of the seventh. Gardner-Webb trimmed the deficit in half by drawing two bases loaded walks and getting RBI singles from Beres and sophomore Megan Gibbons . Ball entered the game with the bases filled, leading by four runs, and fanned junior Scarlett Harris to clinch the 8-4 victory.
Liberty and Gardner-Webb wrap up their series tomorrow, with a single game held at 1 p.m. at Crest High School.
