Liberty University
32-17, 14-5
Austin Peay
24-18, 11-8
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austin Peay | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 0 |
| Liberty | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | X | 6 | 8 | 3 |
Lady Flames Defeat Austin Peay 6-3
4/28/2023 6:00:47 PM | Softball
Liberty opened its final regular-season home series with a 6-3 win over Austin Peay, Friday at Kamphuis Field at Liberty Softball Stadium.
The Lady Flames (32-17, 14-5 ASUN) push their winning streak to three games, defeating No. 24 Central Arkansas on Sunday before upsetting No. 6 Clemson at home, Wednesday. The Governors fall to 24-18, 11-8 in ASUN play after their fourth straight loss.
Scoring Summary
Liberty – 1st INNING – Fortner flies out to center, sacrifice fly, Howard scores, 1-0
Liberty – 1st INNING – Madrey doubles to center, Craine and Roupe score, 3-0
Liberty – 1st INNING – Kersten singles to left, Madrey scores, 4-0
APSU – 3rd INNING – Hodum singles to center, Harleroad advances, Herring scores, 4-1
APSU – 3rd INNING – Osowski reaches on fielder’s choice, advances on throwing error, Harkleroad out at third, Hodum scores on error, 4-2
Liberty – 3rd INNING – Kersten singles to center, Madrey scores, 5-2
APSU – 5th INNING – Zuege singles up the middle, Harleroad scores, 5-3
Liberty – 6th INNING – Hudson doubles down left field line, Howard scores, 6-3
Notable Numbers
- Liberty outhit Austin Peay 8-6 for the game, with the Governors scoring two unearned runs off of two Lady Flames errors. Both teams turned a double play, and each squad left six runners on base.
- Karlie Keeney (23-8), making her sixth straight start, earned the win, allowing three runs (one earned) on six hits, walking two and striking out one.
- Jordan Benefield (17-9) drew the loss, allowing six runs on eight hits, walking five and fanning three.
- KK Madrey went 2-for-3 with a double, one stolen base, two RBI and two runs scored, while Sierra Kersten batted 2-for-3 with two RBI. Caroline Hudson went 1-for-2 with a double and one RBI, while Devyn Howard batted 1-for-2 with two runs scored.
- Morgan Zuege went 3-for-4 with one RBI for APSU, while former Lady Flame Megan Hodum batted 1-for-4 with one RBI and one run scored.
Turning Point
- The Lady Flames jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning as Benefield struggled to find the zone, walking three out of the first four batters she faced. Megan Fortner got the scoring going with a sacrifice fly, and Madrey followed with a two-run double. Kersten made it 4-0 when she singled to left.
- APSU battled back to within two runs twice, at 4-2 and 5-3, but could get no closer as Liberty sealed the 6-3 victory.
Beyond the Box Score
- Liberty tied the all-time series with Austin Peay at 1-1, as the Governors had won the previous meeting, March 15, 2002. This was Austin Peay’s first-ever softball game inside the Commonwealth of Virginia.
- Hudson extended her hitting streak to nine games with her sixth-inning RBI double, her team-leading 12th double of the season (30th career).
- Keeney’s 23 wins are the second most in a single season in program history, trailing only Julia DiMartino’s 29 wins in 2018.
- Keeney is the first Lady Flame since Chandler Ball in 2013 to start six straight game as pitcher.
- Madrey’s 21 stolen bases are the most by a Lady Flame since Jasmeen Click stole 22 bases in 2017.
- Liberty’s 21 double plays turned this season are one shy of the program single-season record of 22, set in 2001 and tied in 2021.
- Liberty is 24-3 this season when scoring first in a game this year and 17-2 when scoring in the first inning.
Up Next
The Lady Flames and Governors will close out this weekend’s series with a noon doubleheader, tomorrow at Liberty Softball Stadium. Prior to the game, Liberty will honor its three softball seniors (Emily Estroff, Devyn Howard, Caroline Hudson) with a senior day ceremony.
Featured in photo: Rachel Roupe
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Keeney, Karlie (23-8)
L: BENEFIEL (17-9)
Batting:
RBI: HODUM 1 ; ZUEGE 1
Base Running:
RUNS: HODUM 1 ; HERRING 1 ; HARKLEROAD 1
Batting:
2B: Hudson, Caroline 1 ; Madrey, KK 1
RBI: Hudson, Caroline 1 ; Fortner, Megan 1 ; Madrey, KK 2 ; Kersten, Sierra 2
SF: Fortner, Megan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Howard, Devyn 2 ; Roupe, Rachel 1 ; Craine, Rachel 1 ; Madrey, KK 2
SB: Roupe, Rachel 2 ; Madrey, KK 1
CS: Fortner, Megan 1
