Liberty University
22-23
Virginia
31-17
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 12 | 1 |
| LIBERTY | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 3 |
Four-Run 5th Pushes Nationally Ranked Virginia Past Liberty
5/3/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
A Liberty Baseball Stadium record crowd saw the nationally ranked Virginia Cavaliers defeat the Liberty Flames, 7-3, Tuesday evening.
Trailing 3-2 in the top of the fifth inning, the Cavaliers, who are ranked as high as No. 11 in the national polls this week, used two hits and took advantage of two Liberty errors to strike for four runs and take the lead for good in the contest.
Liberty set a new single-game attendance record with a crowd of 4,024 fans in attendance for the contest at Liberty Baseball Stadium. The mark surpasses the previous record of 3,983 set against Campbell on April 10, 2015.
Liberty falls to 22-23 on the season. Virginia, the first nationally ranked opponent for the Flames this season, moves to 31-17. The contest was the only meeting of the year between the two squads. The game was also the start of an eight-game Liberty homestand.
The visiting Cavaliers plated the game's first run in the top of the second. With one out, center fielder Adam Hasseley hit his fifth home run of the season for a short-lived 1-0 edge.
Liberty answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning. Designated hitter Andrew Kowalo singled and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by catcher Payton Scarbrough. Third baseman Eric Grabowski then walked. Two batters later, right fielder Jack Morris split the left-center field gap with a liner to the wall for a two-out triple, scoring both runners and giving the Flames a 2-1 advantage.
Each team pushed across a run in the third. Right fielder Cameron Simmons doubled to lead off the inning, and later scored on a one-out single by third baseman Justin Novak. In the bottom of the frame, left fielder Andrew Yacyk opened the home half of the inning with a double. After a 10-minute rain delay, Yacyk advanced to third base on a passed ball and scored on a two-out infield single by Scarbrough for a 3-2 Liberty advantage.
Visiting Virginia took a 6-3 lead in the fifth. Simmons doubled and second baseman Ernie Clement walked to begin the inning. Simmons then scored, when Flames pitcher Zander Clouse's throw on a sacrifice bunt by Andy Weber, who came into the game at third base in the fourth, sailed wide of first base and down the right filed line to tie the game at 3-3.
After a Liberty pitching change and catcher Matt Thaiss being intentionally walked to load the bases, first baseman Pavin Smith singled to right field, plating two runs for a 5-3 lead. Shortstop Daniel Pinero followed with a run-scoring ground out for a 6-3 Cavaliers' advantage.
Visiting Virginia added an insurance run in the eighth. Weber's two-out RBI single extended the visitors' lead to what prove to be the final score of 7-3.
Liberty right-hander Clouse drops to 3-2 on the year. He allowed five runs, four earned, on six hits over four-plus innings. He struck out two batters and walked one.
Virginia reliever Tyler Shambora moves to 5-0. He pitched 4 1/3 scoreless innings of relief. He allowed three hits, striking out three. The right-hander did not walk a batter.
Liberty had seven hits the contest. Seven different Flames had a hit in the game. Virginia collected 12. The Flames committed three errors, while the Cavaliers made one.
Liberty continues its homestand by welcoming the nationally ranked Coastal Carolina Chanticleers for a three-game Big South series, this weekend. The series gets underway Friday at Liberty Baseball Stadium with first pitch scheduled for 7 p.m.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Tyler Shambora (5-0)
L: Clouse, Zander (3-2)
Batting:
2B: Daniel Pinero 1 ; Cameron Simmons 2
3B: Matt Thaiss 1
HR: Adam Haseley 1
RBI: Justin Novak 1 ; Andy Weber 1 ; Pavin Smith 2 ; Adam Haseley 2
SH: Andy Weber 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Ernie Clement 1 ; Andy Weber 1 ; Matt Thaiss 1 ; Adam Haseley 1 ; Cameron Simmons 3
SB: Nate Eikhoff 1
Batting:
2B: Yacyk, Andrew 1
3B: Morris, Jack 1
RBI: Scarbrough, Payton 1 ; Morris, Jack 2
SH: Scarbrough, Payton 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Yacyk, Andrew 1 ; Kowalo, Andrew 1 ; Grabowski, Eric 1
