Liberty University
21-12, 3-2
Kennesaw State
14-16, 7-1
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kennesaw State | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 10 | 0 |
| Liberty | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 1 |
Bishop-Riley Hits Record-Setting Homer, Owls Edge Lady Flames 5-4
4/2/2021 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Kennesaw State claimed a doubleheader sweep of Liberty, winning and a back-and-forth game two by a 5-4 score on Friday at Kamphuis Field at Liberty Softball Stadium.
KSU (14-16, 7-1 ASUN) has secured its third ASUN series victory in a row while extending its winning streak to five games. The Lady Flames (21-12, 3-2) have suffered three straight setbacks following a 3-0 series sweep at Bellarmine two weekends ago.
Liberty's Amber Bishop-Riley made history with her game-tying homer in the bottom of the fifth. She became the first player in NCAA softball history to record five 10-homer seasons. Also, with that home run, she is now Liberty's all-time leader with 59 career homers, passing Jessica Moore (2005-07).
Scoring Summary
Liberty – 2nd INNING – Via singles, Howard scores, 1-0
Liberty – 2nd INNING – Bishop doubles, Via scores, 2-0
Kennesaw State – 4th INNING – Bailey singles, Williams and Jiles score, 2-2
Liberty – 4th INNING – Via doubles, Howard scores, 3-2
Kennesaw State – 5th INNING – Solorzano reaches on fielder's choice, Alexander scores, 3-3
Kennesaw State – 5th INNING – Cates walks, Summey scores, 4-3
Liberty – 5th INNING – Bishop-Riley homers, 4-4
Kennesaw State – 6th INNING – Florence triples, Dickey scores, 5-4
Notable Numbers
- KSU led 10-8 in hits, while Liberty's committed the game's lone error. The Owls left seven runners on base, while the Lady Flames stranded six.
- Liberty recorded four doubles and a homer, while KSU's lone extra-base hit was an RBI triple by Christen Florence in the sixth that proved to be the game winner.
- Lindsey Kyte (3-3) earned the win, allowing four runs on seven hits, striking out four and walking one in five innings. Melanie Bennett tossed two innings of one-hit softball to nail down the save.
- Megan Johnson (2-2) sustained the loss, yielding one run on two hits and striking out three in 2 2/3 innings. Starter Karlie Keeney gave up four runs on eight hits and walked two in 4 1/3 innings.
- Florence batted 3-for-4 with a triple and one RBI, while Brea Dickey and Raleigh Williams both had two hits and each scored one run.
- Madison Via batted 3-for-3 with a double, two RBI and one run scored, while Devyn Howard batted 2-for-2 with two doubles and two runs scored. Autumn Bishop went 2-for-4 with her ASUN-leading 13th double and one RBI, while Bishop-Riley hit her 10th homer of the season.
Turning Point
- Kennesaw State scored twice in the fifth to take a 4-3 lead and threatened for more. Reliever Johnson got out of a bases-loaded jam with one out, retiring the final two batters to keep it a one-run game.
- Bishop-Riley quickly tied it with a solo shot to center in the bottom of the fifth. Kyte retired the next three in order.
- The Owls jumped ahead 5-4 with a two-out rally in the sixth. Dickey singled, and Florence drove her in with a triple to left that landed just out of the reach of a diving Via.
- Bennett came on to pitch the final two innings, working through trouble in the sixth before tossing a 1-2-3 seventh.
Beyond the Box Score
- Liberty and Kennesaw State are now tied at 6-6 all-time in their softball series.
- Liberty has lost back-to-back home games for the first time since March 9-10, 2017, when Saint Francis (Pa.) won twice over the Lady Flames. The Lady Flames are 26-3 in their last 29 home games.
- Today was the first time since April 24, 2015 at Winthrop that Liberty has been swept in a doubleheader by a conference opponent.
- Liberty is now 6-4 in one-run games this season.
- This is the first time since March 31-April 1, 2015 against Longwood that Liberty has dropped a home conference series.
- Of her program-record 59 career homers, Bishop-Riley has hit 29 home runs at Liberty Softball Stadium and 30 away from Lynchburg.
- Autumn Bishop, Liberty's career record holder in doubles (66), ranks second among all active NCAA Division I softball players in doubles.
- Via has gotten a hit in each of her last four at bats, dating to her final at bat in game one today.
- Howard posted the second two-double game of her Liberty career, as she also had two doubles against Longwood on March 6.
Up Next
The Lady Flames and Owls finish up this weekend's three-game series with a single game tomorrow at noon.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Kyte (3-3)
L: Johnson, Megan (2-2)
S: Bennett (2)
Batting:
3B: Florence 1
RBI: Florence 1 ; Solorzano 1 ; Cates 1 ; Bailey 2
SH: Dickey 1 ; Greep 1 ; Lopez 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Dickey 1 ; Summey 1 ; Jiles 1 ; Williams 1 ; Alexander 1
SB: Jiles 1
CS: Lopez 1
Batting:
2B: Bishop, Autumn 1 ; Howard, Devyn 2 ; Via, Madison 1
HR: Bishop-Riley, Amber 1
RBI: Bishop, Autumn 1 ; Bishop-Riley, Amber 1 ; Via, Madison 2
SH: Channell, Savannah 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Bishop-Riley, Amber 1 ; Howard, Devyn 2 ; Via, Madison 1
