Lady Flames Hold On to Down CSU, 3-2
4/24/2016 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Liberty built a 3-0 lead after four innings on Sunday before holding off Charleston Southern, 3-2, at Kamphuis Field at Liberty Softball Stadium.
With the win, Liberty (26-24, 12-6 Big South) secured its fifth conference series victory of the season, taking two out of three from Charleston Southern. The Buccaneers fall to 21-29, 9-11 on the campaign.
Charleston Southern outhit the Lady Flames, 8-5, but the Buccaneers left 10 on base compared to six stranded for Liberty.
Rylee Reynolds batted 3-for-3 with two doubles and two RBI. Kassidy McCoy went 1-for-2 with a double and one RBI. Sarah Robertson hit 1-for-3, while Tori Zavodny stole her 24th base of the season and scored once.
Natalie Yonan went 2-for-3 with a double and one run scored for CSU, while Amanda Matsumoto hit 2-for-4. Jade Gandara drove in one run, going 1-for-4.
Julia DiMartino (14-10) earned the victory, her third this week, allowing two runs, one earned, on eight hits, striking out nine and walking two. Before giving up a fifth-inning run today, she had extended her personal shutout streak to 19 2/3 innings.
Hayley Elkins (10-21) drew the loss, giving up three runs on five hits, with four strikeouts and three walks.
An error with two outs in the top of the first gave CSU life, as Caitlyn Emberson then walked. However, DiMartino struck out Gandara.
Liberty jumped ahead with a two-run first inning. Zavodny walked and stole second. After two outs, See drew a walk. Reynolds then lined a double to center, plating both Zavodny and See for a 2-0 lead.
CSU rallied during the third inning, loading the bases with one out on two singles and a walk. DiMartino kept the shutout alive, fanning Gandara and getting Brittany McPherson to ground out.
The Lady Flames boosted their advantage to 3-0 in the bottom of the fourth. Reynolds hit a leadoff single, and McCoy hit an RBI double to right center. After a fielder's choice put runners on the corners, Elkins escaped further damage, retiring the next three batters.
Charleston Southern entered the scoring column during the fourth stanza. With runners on first and second and two outs, Gandara dropped an RBI single to center. DiMartino then struck out McPherson.
After a 1-2-3 Liberty fifth, CSU trimmed the deficit to one, scoring an unearned run in the top of the sixth. Yonan hit a one-out double to center. Following a strikeout, a single by Matsumoto put runners on the corners. Stephanie Bergmann then reached on a throwing error, with Yonan scoring on the play. Stevi Johnson popped out to short for the third out.
Reynolds led off the bottom of the sixth with a double to left center, and McCoy walked. A sacrifice bunt sent both runners up a base. Elkins got out of the jam, with a strikeout and a fielder's choice.
DiMartino nailed down the victory, pitching a three-up, three-down seventh frame.
Liberty returns to the road for its final three regular-season away games. The Lady Flames will play a doubleheader at Radford on Tuesday, beginning at 4 p.m. Wednesday's single game will start at 2 p.m.
