Liberty University
27-13, 13-6
Stetson
19-22, 5-14
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LIBERTY | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 1 |
| Stetson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 |
Liberty Sets School Record for Strikeouts, Slides Past Stetson 2-1 in 15 innings
4/29/2022 9:15:32 PM | Baseball
Liberty right fielder Aaron Anderson’s RBI grounder in the 15th broke a 1-1 tie and four Flames combined to strike out a program-record 24 in a 2-1 victory over the Stetson Hatters in the first game of an ASUN series at Melching Field at Conrad Stadium on Friday.
With one out in the top of the 15th inning, Anderson grounded out to the shortstop to plate second baseman Nathan Keeter for a 2-1 lead. In the bottom of the inning, Trey Carter finished off 3 2/3 scoreless innings of relief to seal the Liberty win.
Liberty pitchers Garrett Horn, Mason Fluharty, Cade Hungate and Carter combined to strike out 24 Hatters to set a new program record for strikeouts in a game.
Flames’ designated hitter Brady Gulakowski tied the contest at 1-1 in the top of the eighth with his 10th home run of the season.
Liberty moves to 27-13 overall. The Flames have won eight of their last nine ASUN Conference contests, improving to 13-6 in the ASUN standings to move into a tie for first place atop the conference’s North Division standings. Stetson falls to 19-22 overall and 5-14 in conference play.
Box Score Highlights
Records: Liberty (27-13, 13-6 ASUN); Stetson (19-22, 5-14 ASUN)
Location: DeLand, Fla. (Melching Field at Conrad Stadium)
WP: Trey Carter (2-0) | LP: Austin Amaral (2-2)
Scoring Summary
1ST INNING – STETSON – Traficante grounds out, Horn scores, 1-0
8th INNING – LIBERTY – Gulakowski homers, 1-1
15th INNING – LIBERTY – Anderson grounds out, Keeter scores, 2-1
Notable Numbers
- Hits were at a premium in the contest. Liberty had five hits in the contest, while Stetson managed four.
- The Flames committed one error, while the Hatters made three.
- Liberty left 10 men on base. Stetson left nine.
- The Flames held the Hatters without a hit until one out in the eighth.
- Liberty starter Garrett Horn allowed one unearned on no hits over the first seven innings. The left-hander struck out a career-high 12 and walked three.
- Carter recorded the win. He pitched 3 2/3 innings. The right-hander struck out four and walked two.
- Catcher Gray Betts had two of the Flames’ five hits in the contest.
- Stetson pitcher Austin Amaral takes the loss. Amaral gave up one run on one hit. He struck out five and walked two over 3 2/3 innings.
- Connor Kehl who entered the game as a pinch runner in the seventh inning had two of the Hatters’ four hits.
Turning Point
In the 13th inning, each team left a runner at third base. In the top of the inning, shortstop Stephen Hill reached on an error to lead off the inning and pinch runner Jake Lazzaro moved to third with two outs. Amaral was able to retire the next Flame to end the inning and keep the Flames from going ahead.
In the home half of the inning, Carter came into the contest with a Hatter on third base and one out. The right-hander struck out the next batter and then induced a ground out to shortstop to end the inning.
Keeter opened the 15th with a double into the right-center field gap. Betts advanced Keeter to third base with a sacrifice bunt. Anderson followed with a grounder in the hole between shortstop and third base to plate Keeter for a 2-1 lead. In the bottom of the inning, Carter quickly retired the first two batters, before walking third baseman Kyle Ball with two outs. He then got center fielder Cameron Hill to bounce back to him for the final out of the game and the Liberty victory.
Beyond the Box Score
- Liberty’s 24 strikeouts in the contest, eclipsed the previous record of 22 set in a 3-2 win over Coastal Carolina on May 10, 1998 at the Big South Tournament in Fort Mill, S.C.
- Tonight, Liberty played extra innings for the first time since losing to Tennessee 6-5 in 10 innings at the NCAA Chapel Hill, N.C. Regional on June 2, 2019.
- 15 innings is the second-longest game innings-wise in program history. VMI edged Liberty 6-5 in 16 innings at Worthington Stadium in the longest contest in program history on April 19, 2008.
- Horn eclipsed his previous career-high set against Stetson in relief on March 26 of this year.
- Betts records his 13th multi-hit game of the year in the contest.
Next Up
Liberty and Stetson will meet in the middle of the game of their three-game series tomorrow at Melching Field at Conrad Stadium. Game time is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Carter, Trey (2-0)
L: Austin Amaral (2-2)
Batting:
2B: Keeter, Nathan 1
HR: Gulakowski, Brady 1
RBI: Anderson, Aaron 1 ; Gulakowski, Brady 1
SH: Betts, Gray 1 ; Mathieu, Logan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Gulakowski, Brady 1 ; Keeter, Nathan 1
SB: Hillier, Three 1 ; Mathieu, Logan 1
Batting:
2B: Connor Kehl 1
RBI: Camden Traficante 1
SH: Juan Correa 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Cameron Hill 1
SB: Cameron Hill 2 ; Connor Kehl 1
CS: Cameron Hill 2
HBP: Cameron Hill 1 ; Brandon Hylton 1
