Liberty University
16-17, 7-6
Kennesaw State
15-17, 6-8
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LIBERTY | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 0 |
| Kennesaw State | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 1 |
Liberty Downs Kennesaw State 6-2 in 11 innings
4/14/2023 11:32:46 PM | Baseball
The Liberty Flames struck for four runs in the 11th inning to down the Kennesaw State Owls 6-2 in the opener of a three-game ASUN series, Friday evening at Stillwell Baseball Stadium.
After making a stellar play on a two-out, bases-loaded bunt in the bottom of the 10th, Flames third baseman Cam Foster singled with two out in the 11th to give Liberty a 4-2 advantage, and shortstop Jake Lazzaro followed with a two-run triple for what proved to be the final score of 6-2.
The Flames sent the game to extra innings by scoring on a throwing error by the Owls catcher in an attempt to get pinch runner Nathan Keeter advancing to third base on a wild pitch.
Center fielder Jaylen Guy had three hits and scored a run in the contest, while Foster added two hits and scored twice for the Flames.
Liberty reliever Trey Carter pitched four scoreless innings and Cole Hertzler closed out the win with 1 1/3 scoreless innings.
The Flames move to 7-6 in the ASUN and 16-17 overall. The Owls fall to 6-7 in conference play and 15-17 overall.
Box Score Highlights
Records: Liberty (16-17, 7-6 ASUN); Kennesaw State (15-17, 6-7 ASUN)
Location: Kennesaw, Ga. (Stillwell Baseball Stadium)
WP: Cole Hertzler (2-1) | LP: Blake Aita (2-2)
Scoring Summary
1st INNING – KSU – Hanson singles, Cash scores, 1-0
5th INNING – LIBERTY – Foster scores on wild pitch, 1-1
6th INNING – KSU – Cash grounds out, Richardson scores, 2-1
9th INNING – LIBERTY – Keeter scores on a throwing error on a wild pitch (unearned), 2-2
11th INNING – LIBERTY – Foster singles, Betts and Troyer score, 4-2
11th INNING – LIBERTY – Lazzaro triples, Foster and Guy score, 6-2
Notable Numbers
- Kennesaw State outhit Liberty, 11-10, in the contest. The Owls made the game’s only error.
- The Flames left eight men on base. The Owls left 14.
- Hertzler records the win. He gave up one hit over 1 1/3 innings. He struck out one and walked one.
- Carter yielded two hits over 4 1/3 innings. He stuck out six, including striking out the side in the seventh inning. He walked two batters.
- Liberty starter Garrett Horn gave up two runs on eight hits over 5 1/3 innings. He struck out four and walked three.
- Flames left fielder Kane Kepley had two hits and walked in the contest.
- Owls reliever Blake Aita takes the loss. He gave up three runs on two hits over 3 1/3 innings. He struck out four and walked two.
- Kennesaw State starting pitcher Blake Wehunt allowed one run on five hits over the first seven innings.
Turning Point
Right fielder Camden Troyer walked to open the 11th inning and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Keeter, who entered the game as a pinch runner in the ninth. Gray Betts was then intentionally walked, and Guy beat out an infield single to load the bases.
Two batters later, Foster lined a single into left field to give Liberty the lead, as Troyer and Betts scored to make it 4-2 Flames. Lazzaro followed by ripping a triple into the right field corner to plate Guy and Foster for a 6-2 advantage.
Beyond the Box Score
- Liberty ups its record to 2-0 in extra-inning games this season. The Flames defeated Austin Peay 6-5 in 10 innings at Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium on March 26.
- Guy records his team-leading 11th multi-hit game and extends his hitting streak to a season-high eight games.
- Foster collects his sixth multi-hit game of the season, while Kepley collects his fifth multi-hit game.
- Carter has not allowed a run in his last six appearances (16 innings).
- Catcher Three Hillier extended his reached base safely streak to a team-high 25 consecutive games by leading off the ninth with a single back through the middle. It is the longest streak by a Flame in the last two seasons.
Next Up
Liberty and Kennesaw State will finish their series with a doubleheader tomorrow afternoon at Stillwell Baseball Stadium. Game one is scheduled to start at 2 p.m.
Featured in Main Photo: Cam Foster
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Hertzler, Cole (2-1)
L: AITA, Blake (2-2)
Batting:
3B: Lazzaro, Jake 1
RBI: Foster, Cam 2 ; Lazzaro, Jake 2
SH: Keeter, Nathan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Troyer, Camden 1 ; Keeter, Nathan 1 ; Betts, Gray 1 ; Guy, Jaylen 1 ; Foster, Cam 2
SB: Guy, Jaylen 2
Batting:
2B: COLINA, Nick 1
RBI: CASH, Donovan 1 ; HANSON, Spencer 1
SH: CHIRELLO, Jackson 1 ; RICHARDSON, Wade 1 ; STILLS, Makenzie 1
Base Running:
RUNS: CASH, Donovan 1 ; RICHARDSON, Wade 1
CS: COLE, Chris 1 ; HASSAN, Nick 1
HBP: EIDSON, Brayden 1 ; COLINA, Nick 1
