Liberty University
21-13, 7-2
Kennesaw State
12-23, 4-5
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kennesaw State | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Liberty | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | X | 3 | 5 | 2 |
Liberty Completes Series Sweep, Edges KSU 3-1
4/2/2023 3:52:04 PM | Softball
Liberty completed a three-game series sweep of Kennesaw State, scoring twice in the sixth inning before holding on for a 3-1 win on Sunday at Kamphuis Field at Liberty Softball Stadium.
The Lady Flames (21-13) improve to 7-2 in ASUN play following their second series sweep of the season, while Kennesaw State falls to 12-23, 4-5 in conference games.
Scoring Summary
Liberty – 1st INNING – Fortner singles through the left side, Craine advances, Roupe scores, 1-0
KSU – 6th INNING – Galloway reaches on error, advances to third, Cates scores, 1-1
Liberty – 6th INNING – Soto grounds out, Heidorn advances, Roupe scores, 2-1
Liberty – 6th INNING – Wilson singles up middle, Heidorn scores, 3-1
Notable Numbers
- Liberty held a 5-3 advantage in hits, while the Lady Flames committed two errors. Kennesaw State left nine runners on base compared to five stranded for the Lady Flames.
- Karlie Keeney (14-6) earned the win, allowing one unearned run in two hits, walking one and striking out one in 2 1/3 innings of relief. Paige Bachman started and went 4 2/3 innings, allowing one hit and three walks while fanning two.
- Melanie Bennett (6-6) drew the loss, yielding three runs on five hits, walking one and fanning four.
- Rachel Roupe went 3-for-3 for the Lady Flames, scoring two out of Liberty’s three runs. The Lady Flames’ fifth, sixth and seventh batters (Megan Fortner, Alexis Soto, Mary Claire Wilson) had one RBI each.
Turning Point
- Liberty led KSU 1-0 as Bachman carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning. Bachman walked the leadoff batter, and a single and walk later loaded the bases with two outs for pinch hitter Laura Bishop. Keeney came on during the at bat to get Bishop on a groundout.
- KSU scored an unearned run in the top of the sixth, as Roupe and Wilson collided on a fly ball, forcing the ball out, and Taylor Cates scored from first on the error.
- The Lady Flames scored twice in the bottom of the sixth to take a 3-1 lead. Keeney then fought off KSU in the top of the seventh. With two out and runners on second and third, Brinaya Bailey lined one that first baseman Megan Fortner caught for the final out.
Beyond the Box Score
- Liberty leads the all-time series against Kennesaw State in softball, 18-6. The Lady Flames have won each of the last 12 meetings.
- Both Friday and today, Liberty scored the winning run in the sixth inning.
- This is the seventh straight ASUN series in which Liberty has tossed at least one shutout.
- The Lady Flames have won 20 out of 24 ASUN regular-season series since joining the conference in 2019, with this weekend being their 18th three-game ASUN sweep.
- Craine reached base safely in a program-record 11 straight plate appearances before a first-inning strikeout today, 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.
- Liberty is 12-1 this season when scoring in the first inning and 16-2 when scoring first.
- Howard has reached base safely in a team-best 12 consecutive games.
Up Next
Liberty heads to the road for its next six games, beginning on Tuesday at Elon at 4:30 p.m. The Lady Flames defeated the Phoenix 6-4 in the first meeting between the two teams this season, Feb. 26 in Lynchburg.
Featured in photo: Rachel Roupe
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Keeney, Karlie (14-6)
L: BENNETT, Mel (6-6)
Batting:
SH: HENRY 1 ; DEPUTY 1
Base Running:
RUNS: CATES 1
Batting:
RBI: Fortner, Megan 1 ; Soto, Alexis 1 ; Wilson, Mary Claire 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Roupe, Rachel 2 ; Heidorn, Lilly 1
