Saturday, March 16
Lynchburg, Va.
2:00 PM ET
Liberty University
13-12, 4-1
2
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0
Jacksonville State
10-17, 0-2
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2
3
4
5
6
7
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H
E
Jacksonville State
0
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0
0
1
Liberty
1
0
0
0
1
0
X
2
7
0
Love Tosses No-Hitter in 2-0 Liberty Victory Over Jacksonville State
3/16/2024 4:14:00 PM | Softball
LYNCHBURG, Va. - Katie Love tossed her first career no-hitter, as Liberty shut out Jacksonville State 2-0 on Saturday at Kamphuis Field at Liberty Softball Stadium.
With the win, Liberty (13-12, 4-1 Conference USA) clinches its second CUSA series victory in a row. Meanwhile, Jax State falls to 10-17, 0-2 in Conference USA play.
Scoring Summary
Liberty – 1st INNING – Kersten singles to center, McManus advances, Wilson scores, 1-0
Liberty – 5th INNING – Kersten singles to right center, Wilson scores, 2-0
Turning Point
Liberty and Jacksonville State wrap up this weekend's series with a single game tomorrow at 11 a.m. at Liberty Softball Stadium.
With the win, Liberty (13-12, 4-1 Conference USA) clinches its second CUSA series victory in a row. Meanwhile, Jax State falls to 10-17, 0-2 in Conference USA play.
Scoring Summary
Liberty – 1st INNING – Kersten singles to center, McManus advances, Wilson scores, 1-0
Liberty – 5th INNING – Kersten singles to right center, Wilson scores, 2-0
Turning Point
- While Love and the Liberty defense were putting up zeroes on the scoreboard, Sierra Kersten drove in Mary Claire Wilson in both the first and fifth innings, giving the Lady Flames the 2-0 margin.
- Liberty registered all seven hits in the game, while Jax State committed one error. The Lady Flames left seven runners on base, while the Gamecocks stranded three.
- Love (3-3) struck out five, yielded two walks and hit one batter. She is the first Liberty freshman to pitch a no-hitter since Julia DiMartino against Gardner-Webb on April 29, 2016. DiMartino was honored along with fellow Liberty softball alumni on the field today.
- Jax State's Jaliyah Holmes (1-6) drew the loss, allowing two runs on seven hits, walking one and striking out four.
- Kersten went 2-for-3 with two RBI, while Mary Claire Wilson scored both of the game's runs. Rachel Roupe hit her team-leading eighth double, while Hailey Deter recorded her seventh double of the season.
- Liberty is now 3-1 all-time against Jacksonville State in softball, winning the last three meetings. The Lady Flames defeated the Gamecocks 4-2 in the quarterfinal round of the 2023 ASUN Softball Championship.
- Current Liberty senior Megan Fortner was playing against her former team. Fortner played from 2020 through 2022 at Jacksonville State, leading the Atlantic Sun Conference in doubles in 2022 before transferring to Liberty.
- The last Liberty pitcher to throw a no-hitter was Emily Kirby, April 2, 2022 at Bellarmine.
- Love is the third Liberty freshman in the NCAA Division I era (since 1994) to toss a no-hitter, joining Leslie Inge (1997) and Julia DiMartino (2016), who both tossed two no-hitters as freshmen.
- Kaylan Yoder four-hit Jax State last night. With Love's no-hitter, this is the first time since March 26, 1996 that Liberty freshmen accounted for shutouts in back-to-back games. That day, both Robin Richards and Katie Phillips tossed two-hitters against North Carolina A&T.
- Liberty has tossed 15 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings and has not allowed a run since the sixth inning of Tuesday's 4-1 setback to No. 4 Duke.
- The last time Liberty pitched back-to-back shutouts was May 5, blanking Queens in both ends of a doubleheader.
- Liberty has outscored opponents 37-7 in eight home games so far this season.
Liberty and Jacksonville State wrap up this weekend's series with a single game tomorrow at 11 a.m. at Liberty Softball Stadium.
Katie Love becomes the first Liberty freshman to pitch a no-hitter since Julia DiMartino in 2016! pic.twitter.com/GOXzg0ArPI
— Liberty Softball (@LibertySB) March 16, 2024
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Love, Katie (3-3)
L: Jaliyah Holmes (1-6)
Batting:
SH: Caroline Lively 1
Base Running:
SB: Emma Jones 1
HBP: Kenzie Nicholson 1
Batting:
2B: Roupe, Rachel 1 ; Deter, Hailey 1
RBI: Kersten, Sierra 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Wilson, Mary Claire 2
SB: Wilson, Mary Claire 1 ; Norris, Aubry 1
Game Leaders
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
2
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
2
R
2
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
P/OF
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