Liberty University
11-9
Sacred Heart
5-6
Lady Flames Down Sacred Heart 8-3
3/9/2023 8:53:29 PM | Softball
Liberty broke open a close game, scoring three times in the sixth to seal an 8-3 win over Sacred Heart on Thursday at Kamphuis Field at Liberty Softball Stadium in the first game of the Flames Classic.
The Lady Flames (11-9) pushed their winning streak to 10 games since returning home from a two-week road trip to start the season. Sacred Heart falls to 5-6 on the season.
Scoring Summary
Liberty – 2nd INNING – Madrey flies out, sacrifice fly, Wilson scores, 1-0
Liberty – 2nd INNING – Howard singles to left, Craine advances, Woodard scores, 2-0
Liberty – 2nd INNING – Hudson singles to right, Howard and Craine score, 4-0
Liberty – 3rd INNING – Wilson singles to right, Fortner scores, 5-0
SHU – 6th INNING – Saad singles to left center, Mowad scores, 5-1
SHU – 6th INNING – Carroll singles, advances on error, Petrovich and Nista score, 5-3
Liberty – 6th INNING – Howard homers to left, 6-3
Liberty – 6th INNING – Roupe singles, Heidorn scores, 7-3
Liberty – 6th INNING – Wilson singles to short, Roupe scores, 8-3
Notable Numbers
- Liberty outhit Sacred Heart 10-3 for the game, committing three errors compared to two miscues for the Pioneers. The Lady Flames left eight runners on base, while SHU stranded five.
- Paige Bachman evened her record at 3-3, allowing three runs (one earned) on three hits, walking two and striking out five in six innings. Karlie Keeney pitched a scoreless seventh.
- Sam Kowalski (3-3) drew the loss, allowing seven runs on eight hits, walking four and fanning five in five innings before giving way to Carly Koltko.
- Mary Claire Wilson batted 4-for-4 with two doubles, three stolen bases, two RBI and one run scored. Devyn Howard went 2-for-4 with a homer, two RBI and two runs scores, while Caroline Hudson hit 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI.
Turning Point
- Liberty staked itself to a 4-0 lead with a four-run second, getting two-out RBI hits from Howard and Hudson to push the advantage to four. The Lady Flames led 5-0 going into the sixth inning, with Bachman holding SHU hitless until that point. The Pioneers scored three runs on three hits in the sixth, with two errors extending the inning and helping SHU pull to within 5-3.
- However, Liberty responded with three runs of its own in the home half of the sixth.
Beyond the Box Score
- Liberty leads the all-time series against Sacred Heart in softball 3-1, with the Lady Flames winning each of the last three meetings. All four games between these two programs have been played at Liberty Softball Stadium.
- The Lady Flames are now 10-0 at home this season.
- Hudson ran her hitting streak to a team-leading seven games.
- Liberty’s six stolen bases are its most in a single game since May 18, 2019 against Marshall.
- Wilson is the first Liberty player since Devyn Howard on Feb. 26, 2022 with four hits in a game. She also set a career high with three stolen bases.
- Liberty’s current 10-game winning streak is its longest since winning 14 in a row, March 19 through April 10, 2022. It is the team’s 10th double-digit winning streak in program history, with seven of those streaks coming under current Head Coach Dot Richardson.
Featured in photo: Mary Claire Wilson
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Bachman, Paige (3-3)
L: Sam Kowalski (3-3)
Batting:
RBI: Grace Saad 1 ; Emily Carroll 1
SH: Victoria LoPinto 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Jenna Mowad 1 ; Cayla Nista 1 ; Amy Petrovich 1
HBP: Carly Koltko 1
Batting:
2B: Hudson, Caroline 1 ; Fortner, Megan 1 ; Wilson, Mary Claire 2
HR: Howard, Devyn 1
RBI: Howard, Devyn 2 ; Hudson, Caroline 2 ; Roupe, Rachel 1 ; Wilson, Mary Claire 2 ; Madrey, KK 1
SF: Madrey, KK 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Howard, Devyn 2 ; Heidorn, Lilly 1 ; Roupe, Rachel 1 ; Fortner, Megan 1 ; Wilson, Mary Claire 1 ; Woodard, Savannah 1 ; Craine, Rachel 1
SB: Roupe, Rachel 1 ; Wilson, Mary Claire 3 ; Woodard, Savannah 2
HBP: Woodard, Savannah 1
