Liberty University
20-13, 6-2
Kennesaw State
12-22, 4-4
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kennesaw State | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Liberty | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | X | 6 | 10 | 1 |
Bachman, Lady Flames Blank Owls 6-0
4/1/2023 5:59:40 PM | Softball
Liberty sophomore Paige Bachman struck out 12 batters during a two-hit shutout, as the Lady Flames blanked Kennesaw State, 6-0 on Saturday at Kamphuis Field at Liberty Softball Stadium.
Liberty (20-13, 6-2 ASUN) earned its second ASUN series win of the season, while KSU fell to 12-22, 4-4 in ASUN play with the loss.
Scoring Summary
Liberty – 1st INNING – Fortner walks, Craine and Roupe advance, Hudson scores, 1-0
Liberty – 2nd INNING – Howard homers to center, 2-0
Liberty – 3rd INNING – Wilson doubles to right center, McManus advances, Craine scores, 3-0
Liberty – 4th INNING – Fortner doubles down right field line, Craine and Heidorn score, 5-0
Liberty – 6th INNING – Fortner grounds out to short, Tuck advances, Hudson scores, 6-0
Notable Numbers
- Liberty outhit KSU 10-2 for the game, with both teams committing one error. The Lady Flames left nine runners on base compared to four stranded for the Owls.
- Bachman (6-6) tossed her second career shutout, striking out a career-high 12 batters while walking two and allowing two hits.
- Laura Bishop (1-4) drew the loss, yielding one run in 1/3 of an inning as she walked three and hit one. Kenley Hilleary (3 1/3 IP, four runs, seven hits, two walks, four strikeouts) and Melanie Bennett (2 1/3 IP, one unearned run, three hits, one strikeout) pitched in relief.
- Rachel Craine reached all four times she came to the plate, going 2-for-2 with a walk, hit by pitch and two runs scored. Megan Fortner went 1-for-3 with four RBI, while Devyn Howard batted 2-for-3 with a homer, one RBI and one run scored. KK Madrey went 2-for-3, while Mary Claire Wilson batted 1-for-3 with an RBI double and Caroline Hudson hit 1-for-3 with two runs scored.
Turning Point
- Liberty scored in five of the six innings in which it batted, including single runs in the first, second, third and sixth innings and two tallies in the fourth.
- Bachman tossed four 1-2-3 innings and posted the second and third three-strikeout innings of her career.
Beyond the Box Score
- Liberty leads the all-time series against Kennesaw State in softball, 17-6. The Lady Flames have won each of the last 11 meetings.
- The Lady Flames have secured the series victory, as Liberty has now won 14 out of its last 15 ASUN regular-season series.
- Craine has reached base safely in a program-record 11 straight plate appearances, a streak which started on Tuesday at Virginia Tech. She passed Madison Kotchey (2015-16), Lou Allan (2022) and current teammates Devyn Howard (2022) and Rachel Roupe (2023), who all had streaks of 10 plate appearances.
- Bachman’s 12 strikeouts are the most by a Lady Flame since former teammate and current Liberty volunteer assistant coach Emily Kirby struck out 13 in a win over Georgia in the opening game of the 2022 NCAA Durham Regional.
- Liberty is 11-1 this season when scoring in the first inning and 15-2 when scoring first.
- Fortner tied her career high with four RBI, her second four-RBI game of the week (also Tuesday at Virginia Tech) and sixth of her career.
Up Next
Liberty and KSU wrap up the series tomorrow at noon at Liberty Softball Stadium.
Featured in photo: Paige Bachman
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Bachman, Paige (6-6)
L: BISHOP, L (1-4)
Base Running:
SB: CATES 1 ; COOPER 1
Batting:
2B: Fortner, Megan 1 ; Wilson, Mary Claire 1
HR: Howard, Devyn 1
RBI: Howard, Devyn 1 ; Fortner, Megan 4 ; Wilson, Mary Claire 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Howard, Devyn 1 ; Hudson, Caroline 2 ; Heidorn, Lilly 1 ; Craine, Rachel 2
CS: Madrey, KK 1
HBP: Craine, Rachel 1
