Liberty University
15-12, 1-0
Eastern Kentucky
4-20, 0-1
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 10 | 13 | 0 |
| Eastern Kentucky | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 7 | 4 |
6-Run 7th Pushes Liberty Past EKU 10-6
3/19/2022 8:06:13 PM | Softball
Liberty trailed Eastern Kentucky 6-2 before scoring twice in the sixth and erupting for a six-run seventh in a 10-6, comeback victory over the Colonels, Saturday at Gertrude Hood Field.
The defending ASUN champion Lady Flames (15-12) open conference play with a win for the sixth time in the last seven years. Liberty snapped a six-game losing streak in the process. Meanwhile, ASUN newcomer, 2021 OVC champion EKU falls to 4-20 on the season.
Turning Point
- EKU homered three times in a four-run fourth inning, taking a 6-2 lead. McKenzie Wagoner then entered the circle, shutting the Colonels out for the remaining 3 1/3 innings.
- Rachel Roupe narrowed the gap to 6-4 with her first career homer in the sixth inning. Liberty left the bases loaded, but came right back in the seventh.
- The first six batters of the seven inning all scored, as Alexis Soto’s first career homer pushed Liberty ahead 7-6, and Raigan Barret (single), Devyn Howard (sacrifice fly) and Caroline Hudson (sacrifice fly) all added insurance RBI.
Scoring Summary
Liberty – 1st INNING – Canetto singles to center, Allan advances, Hudson scores, 1-0
Eastern Kentucky – 1st INNING – Bowers homers to left center, Bowers and Miller score, 2-1
Liberty – 2nd INNING – Wilson scores on wild pitch, 2-2
Eastern Kentucky – 4th INNING – Riley homers down the left field line, Riley and Sjoberg score, 4-2
Eastern Kentucky – 4th INNING – Robinson homers to left field, 5-2
Eastern Kentucky – 4th INNING – Reynoso homers to left, 6-2
Liberty – 6th INNING – Roupe homers to center, Roupe and Wilson score, 6-4
Liberty – 7th INNING – Soto homers to left center, Soto, Canetto and Heidorn score, 7-6
Liberty – 7th INNING – Barrett singles, Roupe advances, Wilson scores, 8-6
Liberty – 7th INNING – Howard flies out to center, sacrifice fly, Roupe scores, 9-6
Liberty – 7th INNING – Hudson flies out to right field, sacrifice fly, Barrett scores, 10-6
Notable Numbers
- Liberty outhit EKU 13-7 for the game, with the Colonels committing the game’s lone error. The Lady Flames left eight runners on base while EKU stranded three.
- Wagoner (3-3) earned the win, yielding just one walk and one hit in 3 1/3 innings of relief. She struck out four. Starter Karlie Keeney allowed four runs on four hits, walking one and fanning three in 3 1/3 innings. Megan Johnson gave up two homers in 1/3 inning of work.
- Samantha Reynoso (2-9) drew the loss, allowing eight runs (six earned) on 12 hits, walking one and fanning three in six innings. Lauren Narvaez gave up two runs on one hit in one inning.
- Caroline Hudson, Lou Allan, Kara Canetto and Raigan Barrett had two hits each, while Wilson scored three runs. Roupe and Soto both recorded their first career homer in this game.
- Lou Bowers batted 2-for-2 with a homer and two RBI for EKU, while the Colonels also got homers from Jeanay Riley, Samantha Reynoso and Carly Robinson.
Beyond the Box Score
- Liberty is now 7-1 all-time against Eastern Kentucky in softball. The Lady Flames eliminated the Colonels from the 2021 NCAA Knoxville Regional, 5-1, on May 22, 2021.
- Liberty extended its conference regular-season winning streak to a program-record 14 games. The Lady Flames have won all of their ASUN regular-season contests since falling 5-4 to Kennesaw State, April 3, 2021.
- Today’s six-run seventh inning marked the most runs scored by the Lady Flames in the seventh inning of a game since scoring eight runs in the seventh inning of a 15-4 win at Charleston Southern, April 7, 2013.
- This is the first time since Feb. 27, 2021 against Villanova that two Liberty batters hit their first homers as Lady Flames in the same game. That day, Devyn Howard and Blake Gibson both hit their first career Liberty home runs.
- The last time Liberty overcame a four-run deficit in a win was Feb. 23, 2020, when the Lady Flames trailed No. 6 Michigan 5-1 in the fourth innings before rallying to win 6-5 in walk-off fashion.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Wagoner, McKenzie (3-3)
L: Reynoso, S. (2-9)
Batting:
2B: Wilson, Mary Claire 1
HR: Soto, Alexis 1 ; Roupe, Rachel 1
RBI: Howard, Devyn 1 ; Hudson, Caroline 1 ; Canetto, Kara 1 ; Soto, Alexis 3 ; Roupe, Rachel 2 ; Barrett, Raigan 1
SF: Howard, Devyn 1 ; Hudson, Caroline 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Hudson, Caroline 1 ; Heidorn, Lilly 1 ; Canetto, Kara 1 ; Soto, Alexis 1 ; Wilson, Mary Claire 3 ; Roupe, Rachel 2 ; Barrett, Raigan 1
SB: Roupe, Rachel 1
Batting:
HR: Bowers, L. 1 ; Riley, J. 1 ; Robinson, C. 1 ; Reynoso, S. 1
RBI: Bowers, L. 2 ; Riley, J. 2 ; Robinson, C. 1 ; Reynoso, S. 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Miller, S. 1 ; Bowers, L. 1 ; Sjoberg, A. 1 ; Riley, J. 1 ; Robinson, C. 1 ; Reynoso, S. 1
SB: Miller, S. 1
