Liberty University
11-5
North Carolina
10-5
Bullpen Powers Liberty Past No. 14 North Carolina 8-4
3/16/2021 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Head Coach Scott Jackson Postgame Press Conference
Liberty relief pitchers David Erickson, Mason Fluharty and Landon Riley combined to hold North Carolina batters in check over the final 5 1/3 innings, propelling the Flames past the No. 14 Tar Heels 8-4, Tuesday afternoon at Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium.
The trio of relievers allowed one run on five hits over the final 5 1/3 innings. The three Flames struck out five and walked just one batter. David Erickson, the first man out of the bullpen, upped his record to 4-0. The right-hander entered the game with Liberty leading 4-3, pitching 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief.
Liberty left fielder Aaron Anderson reached base four times in the contest with two doubles and walking twice. He drove in a run and scored twice in game. Flames shortstop Cam Locklear also reached base four times in the contest, recording two hits and walking twice. He collected two RBI and scored.
It is the second time in seven days that Liberty defeated North Carolina. Winners of nine straight contest, the Flames run their record to 11-5 on the season. The Tar Heels drop to 10-5.
Box Score Highlights
Records: North Carolina (10-5); Liberty (11-5)
Location: Lynchburg, Va. (Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium)
WP: David Erickson (4-0) | LP: Tanner Quick (0-1) | SV: Landon Riley (4)
Scoring Summary
LIBERTY – 1st INNING – Wagner flies out, Betts scores, 1-0
LIBERTY - 2nd INNING – McDyre fielder's choice sacrifice bunt, Locklear scores, 2-0
LIBERTY – 2nd INNING – Wilson flies out, Gulakowski scores, 3-0
LIBERTY – 2nd INNING – McDyre scores on wild pitch, 4-0
UNC – 3rd INNING – Zarate flies out, Causey scores, 4-1
UNC – 4th INNING – Serretti homers, 4-2
UNC – 4th INNING – Causey doubles, Frick scores, 4-3
LIBERTY – 5th INNING – Gulakowski reaches on catcher's interference, Anderson scores, 5-3
LIBERTY – 6th INNING – Anderson doubles, Betts scores, 6-3
UNC – 8th INNING – Holtzapple singles, Frick scores, 6-4
LIBERTY – 8th INNING – Locklear singles, Anderson and Betts score, 8-4
Notable Numbers
- North Carolina had 10 hits in the contest, while Liberty collected seven. The Tar Heels made two errors. The Flames committed one.
- Liberty left 11 men on base. North Carolina left seven.
- 10 North Carolina pitchers combined to walk 10 Flames in the contest. Liberty pitchers walked just one batter.
- Liberty designated hitter Brady Gulakowski joined Anderson and Locklear with two hits in the contest. The designated hitter had an RBI and scored a run.
- Catcher Gray Betts reached base three times and scored all three times, tying his career high.
- The Flames Fluharty pitched 1 2/3 innings of relief, allowing one run on three hits. He struck out one.
- Liberty's Riley finished the contest, pitching a scoreless final 1 1/3 innings to earn his four save of the year. The right-hander struck out two.
Turning Point
After seeing North Carolina trim its advantage to 4-3 against starter Mason Hand in the top of the fourth inning, Liberty went to its bullpen. Erickson entered with a runner on second and two outs and promptly struck out designated hitter Hunter Stockley to hold the one-run lead.
Beyond the Box Score
- The Flames tie the NCAA Division I program record for consecutive wins with nine. The 2021 Flames become the seventh Liberty team to win nine straight at the DI level, the last being the 2011 squad.
- Liberty defeated North Carolina twice in seven days. The Flames defeated the Tar Heels 8-7 in Chapel Hill, N.C. last Tuesday.
- The Liberty pitching staff had its scoreless streak snapped in the third inning. The Flames had not allowed a run over the previous 31 1/3 innings.
- During Liberty nine-game winning streak, the Flames bullpen has allowed only four earned runs over 35 2/3 innings and has allowed only one of 11 inherited runners to score.
- Erickson leads the Flames with eight appearances and an ERA of 1.96.
- Riley leads the ASUN Conference with four saves. He has yet to allow a run in seven appearances.
- With two hits in the contest, Anderson ties Betts for the team lead in multi-hit games with six. Anderson had four hits in Liberty's two games against North Carolina, all doubles.
- Gulakowski collected his fourth multi-hit game of the season and has four-game hitting streak.
Up Next
Liberty will travel to Richmond, Va., Friday. The Flames will square off with the VCU Rams at the Diamond. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Erickson, David (4-0)
L: Tanner Quick (0-1)
S: Riley, Landon (4)
Batting:
2B: Tomas Frick 1 ; Tyler Causey 1 ; Hunter Stokely 1 ; Max Troiani 1
HR: Danny Serretti 1
RBI: Angel Zarate 1 ; Danny Serretti 1 ; Tyler Causey 1 ; Jake Holtzapple 1
SF: Angel Zarate 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Danny Serretti 1 ; Tomas Frick 2 ; Tyler Causey 1
SB: Justice Thompson 1
CS: Angel Zarate 1
Batting:
2B: Anderson, Aaron 2 ; Locklear, Cam 1
RBI: Wilson, Jake 1 ; Anderson, Aaron 1 ; Wagner, Will 1 ; Locklear, Cam 2 ; Gulakowski, Brady 1 ; McDyre, Trey 1
SH: McDyre, Trey 1 ; Guy, Jaylen 1
SF: Wilson, Jake 1 ; Wagner, Will 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Betts, Gray 3 ; Anderson, Aaron 2 ; Locklear, Cam 1 ; Gulakowski, Brady 1 ; McDyre, Trey 1
CS: Wilson, Jake 1
HBP: Wagner, Will 1
