Virginia Outlasts Liberty 3-1

LYNCHBURG, Va. – Virginia scored twice in the first inning and escaped three separate bases-loaded situations, defeating Liberty 3-1 on Tuesday at Kamphuis Field at Liberty Softball Stadium.

The Cavaliers improve to 21-10 on the season with the win, while the Lady Flames fall to 17-14.

Scoring Summary
Virginia – 1^st INNING – Cabral doubles to left, Hylton scores, 1-0
Virginia – 1^st INNING – Eaton doubles to left, Cabral scores, 2-0
Liberty – 2^nd INNING – Craine singles to right, Madrey scores, 2-1
Virginia – 5^th INNING – Weaver flies out to center, sacrifice fly, Hylton scores.

Turning Point

With Virginia leading Liberty 2-1 with two on and one out in the bottom of the second, Eden Bigham entered the circle in relief of Cavalier starter Madison Harris. Bigham walked Rachel Roupe to load the bases before retiring the next two batters.
The Lady Flames also left the bases loaded in both the third and fifth innings, as Bigham walked the tight rope in order to maintain the lead.

Notable Numbers

Liberty outhit Virginia 7-3. The Lady Flames committed three errors, while the Cavaliers had one error. The hosts left a season-high 11 runners on base, while the visitors stranded six.
Eden Bigham (8-6) earned the win, striking out nine, walking two and allowing four hits in 5 2/3 innings of shutout softball. Madison Harris gave up one run on three hits in 1 1/3 innings, walking one and striking out three.
Elena Escobar (4-1), pitching for the first time since March 10, allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits, striking out six and walking one in five innings. Kaylan Yoder tossed two hitless innings, issuing two walks and fanning two.
Jade Hylton walked twice and scored twice for Virginia, while Bella Cabral and Macee Eaton both went 1-for-3 with an RBI double.
For Liberty, KK Madrey went 2-for-4 with a double and one run scored, while Rachel Craine batted 1-for-2 with one RBI.

Beyond the Box Score

Tonight's game was delayed for one hour and 17 minutes due to rain.
Virginia leads Liberty 49-26 after winning each of the last two meetings in the series. The Lady Flames are 8-2 all-time against the Cavaliers at Liberty Softball Stadium, as tonight was Virginia's first win at Liberty since April 22, 2015.
Prior to today, the Lady Flames had scored first in all 10 of their home games.
Madrey recorded her second straight two-hit game.
Wilson had reached base safely in each of her last 12 games, a streak which was snapped tonight. Wilson and Roupe both had their hitting streaks halted at eight games.
Prior to tonight, Liberty was 4-0 in games started by Escobar.
Liberty is 9-2 at home this season, with both of its home losses coming to ACC opponents (also No. 4 Duke, March 12).

Up Next
Liberty hosts Louisiana Tech for a three-game Conference USA series, Thursday through Saturday at Liberty Softball Stadium. The Lady Flames and Bulldogs are tied for first in CUSA standings with 7-2 records.

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Team Stats

KK Madrey

Savannah Jessee

Megan Fortner

Brooke Roberts

Players Mentioned

Rachel Craine

Elena Escobar

KK Madrey

Rachel Roupe

Kaylan Yoder