Liberty University
Bellarmine
Kirby No-Hits Bellarmine in 2-0 Win as Liberty Sweeps Series
4/2/2022 2:50:35 PM | Softball
Liberty senior Emily Kirby pitched her first career no-hitter, striking out 12 batters during a 2-0 Lady Flames win at Bellarmine on Saturday at Knights Field to wrap up the series sweep.
With the win, Liberty improves to 25-12 on the season, including a perfect 9-0 in ASUN play. The Lady Flames extend their winning streak to 11 games as well. Meanwhile, Bellarmine falls to 9-26, 1-8 in ASUN games.
Scoring Summary
Liberty – 1st INNING – Roupe hit by pitch with the bases loaded, Griffin and Allan advance, Hudson scores, 1-0
Liberty – 2nd INNING – Machado homers to left center, 2-0
Notable Numbers
- Liberty scored two runs on seven hits while committing one error. The Lady Flames left nine runners on base, compared to two stranded for the Knights.
- Kirby (5-3) held Bellarmine hitless, needing 101 pitches for the no-hitter. She struck out 12, her third double-digit strikeout game of the season. Kirby allowed just two baserunners, on a walk and an error. She retired the last 17 batters she faced in the game.
- Bellarmine’s Carson Goatley (4-8) drew the loss, allowing two runs on two hits, walking three and striking out one in two innings. She gave way to Megan Murphy (two innings) and Claire Lehmkuhler (three), who combined for five scoreless relief innings.
- Mary Claire Wilson batted 2-for-3, good for her fourth straight two-hit game, while KC Machado hit her second career homer and second in as many games.
Turning Point
- Liberty loaded the bases in the first, and scored when Rachel Roupe was hit by a pitch.
- The Lady Flames then doubled their lead on Machado’s leadoff homer in the second.
- Kirby walked the first batter of the game, but retired 21 out of the final 22 hitters in the game, including the last 17 in a row.
Beyond the Box Score
- Liberty is now 9-0 all-time against Bellarmine in softball, outscoring them 60-4 in those games.
- Liberty’s current 11-game overall winning streak is its longest winning streak since winning 17 straight games, April 3 through May 7, 2021.
- Liberty is 17-0 this season when scoring in the first inning and 22-0 when scoring first in a game.
- The Lady Flames have won each of their last 22 ASUN regular-season games, a streak which started April 3, 2021 against Kennesaw State. Liberty is 41-7 all-time in ASUN regular-season games, earning 12 three-game sweeps in that span.
- Liberty has posted a program-record-tying three no-hitters this season, with Karlie Keeney (vs. Maryland and Rutgers) tossing two no-hitters and Kirby pitching one today. The Lady Flames tossed three no-hitters in 1997 and again in 1999.
- Kirby’s 12 strikeouts marked her sixth career 10-strikeout game and third this season.
- Kirby is now tied with Sarah Swor (2004-07) and Tiffani Smith (2008-11) for sixth in program history with 12 career shutouts.
- Kirby’s no-hitter was the 22nd no-hitter in program history, and just the eighth seven-inning no-hitter by a Liberty pitcher all-time. The last solo seven-inning no-hitter was April 29, 2016, when Julia DiMartino no-hit Gardner-Webb in a 1-0 win.
- Howard extended her hitting streak to a team season-best 12 games with her fourth-inning single.
- Machado has homered in back-to-back games, joining Rachel Roupe (March 19 at Eastern Kentucky) as Liberty freshmen with home runs in back-to-back games this season.
Up Next
Liberty returns home and will host Kennesaw State next Friday and Saturday at Kamphuis Field at Liberty Softball Stadium. The Lady Flames and Owls last met in the 2021 ASUN Softball Championship final, which Liberty won 5-4 to earn its fourth conference tournament title in program history.
