Liberty University
1-0
Pitt
0-1
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 15 | 0 |
| Pittsburgh | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 5 |
Lady Flames Race to 10-4 Season-Opening Win Over Pitt
2/12/2021 12:00:00 AM | Softball
The Liberty softball team pounded out 15 hits on the way to a season-opening 10-4 win over Pitt on Friday to begin THE Spring Games in Leesburg, Fla.
Liberty (1-0) has now won its season opener four out of the last five years, while the Panthers opened the season at 0-1.
These two teams will meet again tomorrow at 12:30 p.m.
With last season getting halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it had been 341 days since Liberty's last game, an 11-3 win over New Mexico on March 8, 2020 in Austin, Texas.
Scoring Summary
Liberty – 1st INNING – Gibson singles, Bishop-Riley scores, 1-0
Liberty – 1st INNING – Sweat reaches on throwing error, Hudson scores, 2-0
Liberty – 1st INNING – Wilson singles, Gibson scores, 3-0
Liberty – 4th INNING – Via reaches on an error, Channell scores, 4-0
Liberty – 4th INNING – Bishop-Riley singles, Via scores, 5-0
Liberty – 4th INNING – Gibson singles, Bishop-Riley scores, 6-0
Liberty – 4th INNING – Wilson reaches on an error, Hudson scores, 7-0
Liberty – 4th INNING – Channell walks, Gibson scores, 8-0
Pitt – 4th INNING – Pavlick singles to center, Taylor scores, 8-1
Pitt – 5th INNING – Sanchez triples, Walter scores, 8-2
Liberty – 6th INNING – Via singles to left center, Wilson scores, 9-2
Pitt – 6th INNING – Batesole doubles, Seamans and Pavlick score, 9-4
Liberty – 7th INNING – Gibson doubles, Hodum scores, 10-4
Notable Numbers
- Liberty outhit Pitt, 15-6, while the Panthers committed all of the game's five errors. The Flames left 11 runners on base, while Pitt stranded four.
- Liberty's Karlie Keeney (1-0), starting the season opener for the second year in a row, earned the win. Keeney allowed four runs on six hits, walking two and striking out two in 5 2/3 innings pitched. McKenzie Wagoner pitched 1 1/3 innings of hitless relief, fanning one and walking one.
- Pitt's Dani Drogemuller (0-1) allowed eight runs (three earned) on nine hits, striking out three and walking one in 3 1/3 innings of work. Brittany Knight yielded two runs in relief.
- Caroline Hudson posted her first career four-hit game, going 4-for-5 with two runs scored. Blake Gibson went 3-for-5 with a double, a career-high three RBI and two runs scored, while Amber Bishop batted 3-for-5 with two runs scored and one RBI.
- Katlyn Pavlick went 2-for-3 with one RBI and one run score, while Morgan Batesole batted 1-for-3 with a double and two RBI.
Turning Point
- Liberty scored three times in the first and added five in the fourth. The Lady Flames held an 8-0 lead before Pitt even got a runner on base, as Keeney retired the first nine she faced.
- The Panthers chipped away, but got no closer than 9-4.
Beyond the Box Score
- This is the sixth time in Dot Richardson's eight seasons that Liberty has opened the season in Florida.
- Liberty is now 16-19-1 all-time in season openers, including 14-13-1 in its NCAA Division I era. The Lady Flames hold a 4-1 record in season openers against ACC opponents.
- The Lady Flames have now won their last nine games in a row against unranked opponents, beginning with a 12-3 win over Elon on Feb. 23, 2020.
- Liberty has won both meetings against Pitt all-time, beginning with a 4-1 win over the Panthers on March 13, 2019 at Liberty Softball Stadium.
- Mary Claire Wilson hit an RBI single in her first career at bat, joining current teammates Caroline Hudson and Amber Bishop as active Lady Flames who have recorded a hit in their first career at bat.
- Amber Bishop-Riley finished the game with 466 career total bases, breaking Jessica Moore's (2005-07) record of 464. Bishop-Riley also holds Liberty's career records for hits and RBI.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Keeney, Karlie (1-0)
L: Dani Drogemuller (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Gibson, Blake 1
RBI: Bishop-Riley, Amber 1 ; Gibson, Blake 3 ; Wilson, Mary Claire 1 ; Channell, Savannah 1 ; Via, Madison 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Bishop-Riley, Amber 2 ; Hodum, Megan 1 ; Hudson, Caroline 2 ; Gibson, Blake 2 ; Wilson, Mary Claire 1 ; Channell, Savannah 1 ; Via, Madison 1
SB: Wilson, Mary Claire 1 ; Via, Madison 1
HBP: Wilson, Mary Claire 1
Batting:
2B: Morgan Batesole 1
3B: LoLo Sanchez 1
RBI: Katlyn Pavlick 1 ; Morgan Batesole 2 ; LoLo Sanchez 1
SH: LoLo Sanchez 1
Base Running:
RUNS: EC Taylor 1 ; Katlyn Pavlick 1 ; Sarah Seamans 1 ; Chandler Walter 1
SB: EC Taylor 1
CS: Hunter Levesque 1
