Liberty University
8-4
Villanova
0-2
Liberty Slides Home With 2nd Walk-Off Win of the Day, 4-3 Over Villanova
2/26/2021 12:00:00 AM | Softball
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For the second game in a row, Autumn Bishop slid home with a game-winning walk-off run, this time sealing a 4-3 win in eight innings over Villanova on Friday at Kamphuis Field at Liberty Softball Stadium.
The Lady Flames (8-4) are now 2-0 at their home-opening Liberty Softball Classic, defeating Notre Dame 3-2 in walk-off fashion before walking off in extra innings against Villanova in the second game. Villanova falls to 0-2 so far this season, dropping games to Notre Dame and Liberty today.
Scoring Summary
Villanova – 2nd INNING – Henry homers, Smith scored, 2-0
Liberty – 6th INNING – Bishop homers, Via scores, 2-2
Villanova – 8th INNING – Rauch walks, Giampolo scores on a wild pitch, 3-2
Liberty – 8th INNING – Bishop doubles, Via scores, 3-3
Liberty – 8th INNING – Canetto reaches on fielder's choice, Bishop scores, 4-3
Notable Numbers
- Both teams managed just four hits in the pitchers' duel, with both teams also committed one error apiece. Villanova left three runners on base, compared to two stranded for Liberty.
- Liberty's Karlie Keeney (5-2) picked up the victory, walking one in 1/3 of an inning of relief in the eighth. Megan Johnson started and went five innings, yielding two runs on two hits and striking out two. Naomi Jones allowed one run on two hits, fanning three in 2 2/3 innings of relief.
- Sara Kennedy (0-1) allowed four runs (two earned) on four hits, walking two in the losing effort.
- Autumn Bishop went 2-for-4 with a double, homer, three RBI and two runs scored. Madison Via scored twice for the Lady Flames.
- Angela Giampolo batted 2-for-4 with a double and one run scored, while Ryan Henry went 1-for-3 with a homer, two RBI and one run scored.
Turning Point
- Liberty trailed 2-0 in the bottom of the sixth when Via reached on an error to lead off. Autumn Bishop then laced an opposite-field home run to tie it at 2-2.
- Giampolo doubled off of Naomi Jones with two outs in the top of the eighth. Keeney then allowed her to score with two wild pitches. With Paige Rauch on first, Megan Kern reached on an error by left fielder Emily Sweat. Sweat recovered in time to throw Rauch out at the plate.
- The Lady Flames rallied with one out in the bottom of the eighth, as Via walked. Bishop's double tied the game. She advanced to third on a passed ball before Villanova intentionally walked Bishop-Riley. Canetto then chooped one to short, and Bishop slid just under the tag for the game-winning run.
Beyond the Box Score
- Today was the first meeting between Liberty and Villanova in softball.
- This was the first time since March 16, 2013 that Liberty posted two walk-off wins in the same day. That day in Clearwater, Fla., Liberty beat Temple 6-5 on a bases-loaded walk drawn by Grace Nordan in the eighth inning. The Lady Flames downed Maine 4-3 that night, as two runs scored on a dropped popup with two outs in the bottom of the seventh.
- This was the fourth game this season that Liberty has gotten the game-winning RBI in the seventh inning or later. Mary Claire Wilson had a go-ahead single in the top of the seventh inning of a 2-1 win over Middle Tennessee on Feb. 13 and Kara Canetto had a two-run single in the seventh inning of a 3-1 win at Troy on Feb. 15 before Amber Bishop-Riley's walk-off double this afternoon against Notre Dame.
- Autumn Bishop passed Meredith Hollyfield (1998-01) into 10th place in program history with 116 career RBI.
- The Lady Flames are 2-3 this season when their opponent scores first and 3-1 in one-run games this season.
- Liberty extended its home winning streak to 18 games. The Lady Flames came into the weekend with the third-longest active home winning streak in NCAA Division I softball, trailing only Drake and Boston University.
- Liberty has beaten 16 straight unranked opponents, dating back to last season, and has gone 32-0 in its last 32 home games against unranked nonconference opponents.
Up Next
The Lady Flames will take on Villanova at 3 p.m. tomorrow, while meeting Notre Dame at 5:30 p.m. Liberty has added a game to its Liberty Classic schedule, as the Lady Flames will face Villanova on Sunday at 11:30 a.m.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Keeney, Karlie (5-2)
L: Sara Kennedy (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Angela Giampolo 1
HR: Ryan Henry 1
RBI: Ryan Henry 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Angela Giampolo 1 ; Chloe Smith 1 ; Ryan Henry 1
HBP: Chloe Smith 1
Batting:
2B: Bishop, Autumn 1
HR: Bishop, Autumn 1
RBI: Bishop, Autumn 3 ; Canetto, Kara 1
SH: Howard, Devyn 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Bishop, Autumn 2 ; Via, Madison 2
SB: Hodum, Megan 1
HBP: Sweat, Emily 1
