Lady Flames Shut Out Virginia, 7-0, Sweep Doubleheader
5/1/2018 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Liberty closed out a doubleheader sweep of Virginia, earning a 7-0 victory over the visiting Cavaliers in game two, Tuesday at Kamphuis Field at Liberty Softball Stadium.
With the win, its 11th in a row, Liberty improves to 41-12 on the season. The Lady Flames extended their program-record home winning streak to 15 games, a streak that started on March 10. Liberty went 6-1 against ACC opponents this season. Virginia finished its season with a 12-41 overall record, dropping its final 14 contests in a row.
Liberty outhit Virginia, 12-5, for the game. The Cavaliers left eight runners on base, while the Lady Flames stranded five.
Chase Cassady (9-2) tossed a five-hit shutout, her fourth of the season and eighth for her career. She struck out two and walked two, securing Liberty's conference-best 16th shutout of the year.
Erika Osherow (6-17) drew the loss, giving up four runs on four hits, walking one and fanning two in three innings. Tabby Dabney and Lexi Mettler both pitched in relief.
Five different Lady Flames recorded two hits each. Jaclyn Amader went 2-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored, while Sarah Robertson batted 2-for-3 with two doubles, two RBI and one run scored. Jessica Cicerchia picked up her second career two-hit game, going 2-for-3 with one run. Madison Via and Taylor Hoffman both went 2-for-3.
Virginia's Ashley Jennings batted 2-for-3, while Jennings and Osherow both doubled.
The first two Cavaliers reached base in the first inning. Cassady then struck out Olivia Gott before getting a pair of groundouts.
Autumn Bishop drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the first and went to second on a wild pitch. A sacrifice bunt sent her to third before Amader's groundout made it 1-0, Liberty.
Osherow led off the second with a double to left, but Cassady retired the next three batters.
Liberty pulled away in the third, scoring three runs on four hits. With two outs and one on, Cicerchia singled to left center, and an error put runners on second and third. Amader then lined a two-run single to left, and Robertson followed with an RBI double, boosting Liberty's advantage to 4-0.
Lacy Smith singled to start the fourth inning, as Virginia's leadoff batter reached base in each of the first four frames. After two outs, Jennings hit an infield single. Cassady then got out of the inning with a groundout.
Dabney came on in relief of Osherow in the home half of the third. Via and Hoffman both singled. With runners on second and third and one out, Tori Zavodny bounced a pinch-hit, RBI single on the infield, her first hit since returning from an injury. Zavodny stole second, but Cicerchia grounded to short for the third out.
Amader bunted for a base hit to lead off the bottom of the fifth. Robertson then plated her with an RBI double. Via singled with one out, and Mettler then entered in relief of Dabney. Liberty scored its seventh run of the game, as Robertson took home while Via got thrown out in a rundown.
Virginia attempted to get on the board in the seventh, as Jennings hit a one-out double to left center. Traver then drew a walk before Allison Davis lined out to left-center field. A wild pitch sent both runners ahead one base. Hayley Busby sent a high drive to the edge of the warning track in left center which left fielder Hoffman snared for the game's final out.
Liberty will finish its regular season this weekend, hosting Winthrop for a three-game Big South series, starting with a single game on Friday at 6 p.m.
