Lady Flames to Take on UNF in Key ASUN East Division Series
4/29/2022 11:32:12 AM | Softball
Liberty (35-14, 18-0 ASUN) heads to Jacksonville, Fla., for a three-game battle with the ASUN East Division’s second place team, North Florida (39-12, 16-5). The Lady Flames need one win this weekend to wrap up the ASUN East Division title and the No. 1 seed for the 2022 ASUN Softball Championship, whose quarterfinals through finals will be played at UNF Softball Complex.
Liberty at North Florida
UNF Softball Complex
Jacksonville, Fla.
Saturday, April 30
1 p.m. – Game 1 Live Stats | Live Video
3:30 p.m. – Game 2 Live Stats | Live Video
Sunday, May 1
Noon – Game 3 Live Stats | Live Video
North Florida is ranked fourth nationally with a 1.61 ERA, led by ASUN leader Morgan Clausen (1.32), who is tied for second in the nation with six shutouts. Meanwhile, Liberty is ranked 30th in NCAA Division I with a 2.29 team ERA. In ASUN play, Liberty leads the conference with a 1.34 ERA, while UNF is third at 1.76.
Liberty will see a familiar face at shortstop this weekend, as UNF shortstop Savannah Channell was Liberty’s starting shortstop in 2020 and 2021 before transferring to North Florida. Channell, a 2021 ASUN All-Conference second team member, hit a go-ahead grand slam against Tennessee in an elimination game at the 2021 NCAA Knoxville Regional.
The Lady Flames ended a five-game homestand at 4-1 after No. 12 Tennessee snapped Liberty’s seven-game winning streak with a 7-2 victory over the Lady Flames on Wednesday. Raigan Barrett made a diving catch which made No. 6 on SportsCenter’s Top 10 that night, and Caroline Hudson hit her ASUN-high-tying 14th homer of the season.
Liberty’s five-game homestand began with an 8-3 win over No. 9 Duke, last Wednesday. Emily Kirby held the Blue Devils to one earned run on four hits, striking out nine. The Lady Flames broke a 3-3 tie with a five-run sixth inning. Liberty then swept Jacksonville over the weekend to remain perfect in ASUN play. Karlie Keeney (four-hit shutout), Kirby (two-hit shutout) and Megan Johnson (one-hitter) combined to allow just two runs all weekend. Liberty hit .403 against Jacksonville, getting homers from Kara Canetto, Caroline Hudson, Lou Allan and Denay Griffin.
Emily Kirby was named ASUN Pitcher of the Week on Monday after a 2-0 week in which she held then No. 9 Duke, the nation’s second-highest scoring team, to one earned run in an 8-3 win. Kirby also tossed her fourth shutout of the season, Saturday versus Jacksonville.
Kirby (9-5, 2.13 ERA) leads the ASUN in strikeouts per seven innings (8.67) and is ranked 21st nationally in hits allowed per seven (4.08). She is 7-0 with a 0.84 ERA in ASUN play. Karlie Keeney (15-6, 2.45), a 2021 ASUN All-Conference second team pitcher, is tied for third in the ASUN in victories overall. Sophomore McKenzie Wagoner (6-3, 1.98) ranks fourth in the conference in ERA, while senior Megan Johnson (3-0, 3.00) tossed a one-hit gem on Senior Day, Sunday.
Devyn Howard leads Liberty with a .352 batting average, an ASUN-leading 31 walks and an ASUN-best 47 runs. Howard is tied for second nationally with six sacrifice flies. ASUN Preseason Player of the Year Kara Canetto (.324) and Mary Claire Wilson (.336) both bat a league-leading .438 in ASUN play. 2021 Big Ten first-teamer Lou Allan (.327) has seven homers and 31 RBI, while Caroline Hudson (.309) is tied for second in the ASUN in homers (14) and is tied for third in RBI (43). Denay Griffin bats .286 and hit her fifth homer of 2022 on Senior Day. Rachel Roupe (28 RBI) has posted the most RBI by a Liberty true freshman since Amber Bishop had 66 in 2017.
