Lady Flames Fall to Marshall, 10-5
4/13/2016 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Marshall posted a 10-5 win over the host Liberty Lady Flames during game one of a doubleheader, Wednesday at Kamphuis Field at Liberty Softball Stadium.
The Thundering Herd (21-20), playing in its first game in Lynchburg since 1994, snaps a six-game winless streak. The Lady Flames' record stands at 21-20 entering tonight's second game.
Jordan Dixon (17-15) earned the victory, allowing four runs on four hits, with nine strikeouts and three walks in 6 2/3 innings pitched. Ali Burdette gave up one run on two hits, walking one in 1/3 innings of work.
Liberty's Chase Cassady (7-7) drew the loss, going the distance. She allowed 10 runs, nine earned on 12 hits, striking out seven and walking two.
The Thundering Herd stole eight bases. Briana Daiss went 3-for-4 with a double and three RBI, while Hayden Ellis batted 2-for-4 with a double, a homer and two RBI. Kaelynn Greene went 1-for-3 with three stolen bases and three runs scored. Elicia D'Orazio hit 2-for-4 with three steals, while Raquel Escareno hit a homer.
For Liberty, Rylee Reynolds went 2-for-2 with a home run and three RBI, hitting her first career homer. Tori Zavodny batted 1-for-3 with a homer and two RBI, while Alexia Taylor hit 1-for-4 and hit a double.
Marshall scored two quick runs in the top of the first, stealing five bases during the frame. D'Orazio led off with a single, before stealing second and third. She then stole home when Greene drew a walk. Greene later scored on a wild pitch, giving Marshall a 2-0 lead.
Liberty struck back in the home half of the first inning, as Jaclyn Amader drew a leadoff walk and Zavodny followed with a two-run blast to center. Taylor then doubled before being thrown out at third. Dixon then struck out the next two batters.
The Thundering Herd added a second-inning tally. Ellis hit a leadoff double, and went to third on a wild pitch. D'Orazio later came through with an RBI single for a 3-2 edge.
After a scoreless Liberty third, Marshall added two runs to its lead. Greene reached third on a throwing error, before Daiss plated her with a single to center. With runners and second and third, Katalin Lucas drove in Summer Collins with a squeeze bunt.
The guests rallied with two outs in the top of the fourth. Greene bunted for a single before stealing second. She then scored on a Daiss single, making it 6-2, Thundering Herd.
Liberty narrowed the gap to 6-4 during the fourth stanza. With one out, Sarah Robertson singled through the left side. After a flyout, Reynolds launched her first career home run, trimming the deficit to two runs.
Marshall answered Liberty's two runs with two tallies of its own during the top of the fifth. McCord drew a leadoff walk, and later scored when Ellis hit the first home run of her career.
The visitors pushed their lead to 9-4, on a sixth-inning RBI double from Daiss.
The Lady Flames scored a run off of reliever Burdette in the bottom of the sixth. Burdette hit Robertson with a pitch, and Deidra See singled. Reynolds then made it 9-5 with an RBI single. Dixon re-entered the circle, striking out the next three batters in order.
Escareno led off the seventh inning by homering to left center, boosting Marshall's lead to 10-5.
Dixon worked around a leadoff walk to Amader in the seventh frame, setting down the final three Lady Flames.
