Liberty University
38-19
North Alabama
34-14-1
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Alabama | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 0 |
| Liberty | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 |
5th-Seeded North Alabama Upends No. 2 Seed Liberty 3-1 in 10 Innings
5/12/2023 4:53:45 PM | Softball
No. 5 seed North Alabama scored a pair of unearned runs in the 10th inning, securing a spot in tomorrow’s championship round of the 2023 ASUN Softball Championship with a 3-1 win over the second-seeded Lady Flames, Friday at Patricia Wilson Field.
The Lions (34-14-1) extend their winning streak to six games and will make their first appearance in the ASUN Softball Championship final game, tomorrow at 1 p.m. They would have to win one out of two games tomorrow to earn the ASUN Championship title and the conference’s automatic bid to the 2023 NCAA Division I Softball Championship.
The Lady Flames (38-19) fall into the losers bracket and will face the winner of this afternoon’s elimination game between No. 1 seed Central Arkansas and No. 4 seed FGCU. Liberty will compete later this evening for a spot in the ASUN Championship title round, where the Lady Flames would have to defeat North Alabama twice tomorrow to secure their third straight ASUN title.
Scoring Summary
UNA – 3rd INNING – Bevis singles to shortstop, Patterson scores, 1-0
Liberty – 6th INNING – Roupe homers to center, 1-1
UNA – 10th INNING – Land reaches on an error, Frame and Bevis score, 3-1
Turning Point
- North Alabama took advantage of its scoring opportunity in the 10th inning. McKenzie Patterson drew a leadoff walk. After a fielder’s choice, Felicity Frame went to second on a wild pitch. Sidney Bevis’ single put runners on the corners. A groundout sent Bevis to second. With two outs, Land’s sharp ground ball was misplayed by Savannah Woodard at second, allowing the two go-ahead runs to score.
- Liberty rallied with one out, as Woodard singled. KK Madrey sent a grounder to short which turned into a fielder’s choice, with Woodard narrowly thrown out at second. Devyn Howard then grounded out to end the game.
Notable Numbers
- North Alabama outhit Liberty 9-5 for the game, with the Lady Flames committing one error and turning a double play. UNA left nine runners on base compared to six stranded for Liberty.
- Maci Birdyshaw (13-6) earned the win, tossing 4 2/3 innings of two-hit relief while striking out one. Lion starter Elena Escobar allowed one run on three hits, walking two and fanning seven in 5 1/3 innings.
- Karlie Keeney (25-10) drew the loss, allowing two unearned runs on five hits, walking one a fanning two in 4 2/3 innings of relief. Paige Bachman struck out six batters and walked one in 5 1/3 innings, giving up one unearned run on four hits.
- UNA recorded nine singles, with Sidney Bevis, Hailey Jones and Taylor Brown all connecting for two hits.
- Woodard went 2-for-3 for the Lady Flames, while Rachel Roupe hit her 13th homer of the season.
Beyond the Box Score
- Liberty is now 8-3 all-time against North Alabama, including 1-1 in ASUN Championship play. The Lady Flames downed the Lions 6-4 in last year’s ASUN Championship.
- Liberty is now 10-4 all-time in ASUN Softball Championship play, winning eight straight conference postseason games prior to today’s loss, starting with the 2021 ASUN Softball Championship.
- Liberty is 20-3 all-time in ASUN games (regular-season and ASUN Championship) played inside the state of Florida.
- Caroline Hudson saw her hitting streak snapped at 16 games, tied with Libi Cook (1997) for the fifth longest hitting streak in program history.
- All five of Liberty’s runs scored so far in the 2023 ASUN Softball Championship have come via the home run ball.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: M. Birdyshaw (13-6)
L: Keeney, Karlie (25-10)
Batting:
RBI: S. Bevis 1 ; G. Land 2
SH: T. Brown 1 ; D. Taitt 1
Base Running:
RUNS: F. Frame 1 ; S. Bevis 1 ; M. Patterson 1
Batting:
HR: Roupe, Rachel 1
RBI: Roupe, Rachel 1
SH: Madrey, KK 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Roupe, Rachel 1
