Liberty Tames Memphis Tigers, 9-2
3/5/2016 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Liberty scored seven unanswered runs on Saturday, on the way to a 9-2 victory over Memphis at LSU's Tiger Park.
With the win, Liberty (8-10) improves its record to 2-1 at the LSU Invitational heading into its 6 p.m. matchup against No. 5/6 LSU. Memphis falls to 6-13, including 0-3 this weekend.
The Lady Flames reached double figures in hits for the fifth time in the last seven games, recording 12 hits.
Jaclyn Amader went 3-for-4 with double and one RBI. Katie Han batted 2-for-3 with two RBI, while Alexia Taylor drove in one run while going 2-for-4. Kassidy McCoy hit her second homer in as many days, driving in two runs. Sarah Robertson went 1-for-3, scoring three runs.
Brooke Lee and Lindsey Stickrod both went 2-for-3 with a double for Memphis.
Chandler Ball evened her season record to 2-2, earning the win with four innings of relief pitching during which she allowed two hits, struck out five and walked one. Starter Kenzie Friesen allowed two runs, one earned, on four hits in three innings pitched before finishing the game as second baseman. Friesen recorded her first career RBI, and also contributed five assists.
Katie Brignac (0-3) drew the loss, allowing nine runs (six earned) on 12 hits, striking out three and walking two in 5 2/3 innings. Adriana Morgan retired the only batter she faced.
The Tigers quickly entered the scoring column in the first inning. Kyler Trosclair singled and stole second. She then scored when Jessie Lamb reached on an error. An inning-ending, 1-4-3 double play quelled the rally.
Liberty answered with two first-inning tallies. The Lady Flames loaded the bases on singles by Taylor, Amader and Rylee Reynolds. Brignac then walked McCoy, sending the first run home, before Friesen drove in Amader for a 2-1 lead. Click struck out to end the inning.
Friesen worked through a jam during the third frame. Memphis' first three batters reached, before Friesen threw out one runner at home on a fielder's choice and then started a 1-2-3 double play. The double play kept the score 2-1, Liberty.
Memphis knotted the score, 2-2, with back-to-back doubles by Stickrod and Lee to start the fourth. Ball then entered the circle for Friesen, getting a strikeout and two groundouts.
McCoy launched a leadoff homer to left center, reclaiming the lead, 3-2, for the Lady Flames in the bottom of the fourth inning.
Liberty tacked on a run during their fifth time up. Robertson drew a one-out walk, and Amader followed with a double. After two outs, Han hit an RBI single, before Amader was thrown out at the plate.
The Lady Flames broke the game open in the sixth inning, scoring five runs on six hits while capitalizing on three Tiger errors. With the bases loaded and nobody out, Taylor, Robertson and Amader hit consecutive RBI singles. A two-out Han single made it 9-2, Lady Flames. Morgan then entered in relief of Brignac, getting McCoy to fly out.
Ball sealed the victory by striking out Lamb to end the game.
