Liberty University
24-27, 14-13
Eastern Kentucky
27-26, 14-13
Liberty Downs Eastern Kentucky to Take Road Series
5/14/2023 5:42:26 PM | Baseball
The Liberty Flames dropped the Eastern Kentucky Colonels 6-1 to take the three-game ASUN series, Sunday afternoon at Earle Combs Stadium.
Right-hander Mikey Tepper combined with relievers Nick Willard and Todd Hudson to hold the Colonels in check throughout the contest. Tepper tied his career-high by striking out 13 Colonels in the contest as he allowed one run on three hits over the first six innings.
Catcher Three Hillier broke the one-run game open in the eighth with a two-run home run, his sixth of the season, to cap a three-run inning.
Third baseman John Simmons put the Flames ahead with a two-run triple in the second.
After falling in the opening game of the series, Liberty wins the final two games to win the series. With a victory in their final road game of the regular season, the Flames move to 14-13 in the ASUN and 24-27 overall. The Colonels drop to 14-13 in the ASUN and 27-26 overall.
Box Score Highlights
Records: Liberty (24-27, 14-13 ASUN); Eastern Kentucky (27-26, 14-13 ASUN)
Location: Richmond, Ky. (Turkey Hughes Field at Earle Combs Stadium)
WP: Mikey Tepper (4-3) | LP: Michael Schuler (3-2) | SV: Todd Hudson (1)
Scoring Summary
1st INNING – EKU – King singles, Thomason scores, 1-0
2nd INNING – LIBERTY – Simmons triples, Hudson and Troyer score, 2-1
8th INNING – LIBERTY – Foster flies out, Horton scores, 3-1
8th INNING – LIBERTY – Hillier homers, Betts scores, 5-1
9th INNING – LIBERTY – Betts flies out, Kepley scores,6-1
Notable Numbers
- Liberty outhit Eastern Kentucky, 7-4. Each team committed an error.
- The Flames left seven men on base. The Colonels left 16.
- No Liberty hitter had more than one hit in the game.
- Willard pitched 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief. He struck out two and walked three.
- Hudson closed out the contest to earn his first collegiate save. The right-hander gave up one hit over 1 2/3 innings. He struck out two and walked two.
- EKU starting pitcher Michael Schuler takes the loss. He gave up two runs on three hits over five innings. He struck out two and walked one.
- Colonels designated hitter Miquel Larreal was the only player in the game with two hits.
Beyond the Box Score
- Liberty wins its first-ever regular season ASUN series with Eastern Kentucky.
- Tepper tied his career-high with 13 strikeouts in the game. The right-hander struck out 13 over 6 2/3 innings in a 9-4 victory over Lipscomb on April 2.
- After scoring 20 runs over the first two games in the series, the Colonels were held to one run this afternoon.
- Hillier, who homered and walked in the game, extended his hitting streak to a team-high 10 games. Outfielder Camden Troyer had a 10-game hit streak earlier in the year.
- Third baseman Cam Foster singled and was hit by a pitch in the contest. He has reached base safely in 17 consecutive games.
- First baseman Brayden Horton singled and walk to move his reached base safely streak to 18 consecutive games. He also has a seven-game hitting streak.
Next Up
Liberty will finish its regular season schedule by hosting the Bellarmine Knight for a three-game ASUN Conference series at Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium. The series gets underway on Thursday at 6 p.m.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Tepper, Mikey (4-3)
L: SCHULER, Michael (3-2)
S: Hudson, Todd (1)
Batting:
2B: Betts, Gray 1
3B: Simmons, John 1
HR: Hillier, Three 1
RBI: Betts, Gray 1 ; Foster, Cam 1 ; Hillier, Three 2 ; Simmons, John 2
SF: Betts, Gray 1 ; Foster, Cam 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Kepley, Kane 1 ; Horton, Brayden 1 ; Betts, Gray 1 ; Hillier, Three 1 ; Troyer, Camden 1 ; Hudson, Todd 1
SB: Kepley, Kane 1
Batting:
RBI: KING, Will 1
Base Running:
RUNS: THOMASON, Logan 1
SB: JONES, Jalen 1
HBP: FRANKLIN, Ron 1
