Liberty Tops Sam Houston 10-5

LYNCHBURG, Va. – Designated hitter Todd Hudson belted a grand slam and Cole Hertzler pitched six strong innings as the Liberty Flames downed the Sam Houston Bearkats 10-5 Friday afternoon at Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium.

Hudson's first-inning grand slam, his fourth home run of the year, staked Liberty to a lead they never relinquished.

Hertzler allowed four runs, two earned, on seven hits over the first six innings of the contest to pick up his third win of 2024. The right-hander tied his career-high with nine strikeouts and walked three.

Flames left fielder Brayden Horton had two hits, knocking in a run and scoring a run in the contest.

With the victories in the first two games of the CUSA series, Liberty takes the series, improving to 4-1 in conference play and 12-14 overall. Sam Houston drops to 3-5 in CUSA and 17-11 overall.

Box Score Highlights
Records: Sam Houston (17-11, 3-5 CUSA); Liberty (12-14, 4-1 CUSA)
Location: Lynchburg, Va. (Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium)
WP: Cole Hertzler (3-3) | LP: Gavi Coldiron (2-2)

Scoring Summary
1^st – LIBERTY - Hudson homers, Dye, Sweatt and Kepley score, 4-0
2^nd – SHSU – Loyd caught stealing, Autrey scores, 4-1
3^rd – SHSU – Cotton grounds out, Martinez scores, 4-2
3^rd – LIBERTY – Foster doubles, Dye scores, 5-2
3^rd – LIBERTY – Troyer doubles, Foster and Hudson score, 7-2
4^th – LIBERTY – Marsh singles, Horton scores, 8-2
4^th – LIBERTY – Sweatt flies out, Kepley scores, 9-2
5^th – SHSU – Lott singles, Martinez scores, 9-3
6^th – SHSU – Loyd doubles, Tatom scores, 9-4
7^th – SHSU – Tatom singles, David scores, 9-5
8^th – SHSU – Horton singles, McClellin scores, 10-5

Baseball - Stats - Game 26

Notable Numbers
- Liberty edged Sam Houston, 10-8, in hits. The Flames committed two errors in the game.
- Liberty left three men on base in the contest. Sam Houston left eight.
- Center fielder Kane Kepley, catcher Macaddin Dye and Hudson each scored twice in the game for the Flames.
- Reliever Talor Grubbs did not allow a run over the final two innings for the Flames.
- Sam Houston Gavi Coldiron takes the loss. He gave up seven runs on six hits over 2 2/3 innings. He struck out three and walked three.
- Second baseman Easton Loyd had two hits and an RBI in the game for the Bearkats.

Beyond the Box Score
- With victory in the first two games of the three-game series, the Flames win their first-ever CUSA home series.
- Hudson's grand slam is his second of 2024. The designated hitter belted a grand slam in a 10-9 victory over Canisius on March 17.
- With two hits, Horton records his third multi-hit game of the season.
- Hertzler strikes out nine for the second consecutive start. The junior struck out nine in Liberty's 11-6 at Middle Tennessee last Friday.

Up Next
The Flames and Bearkats will wrap up their three-game CUSA series tomorrow afternoon at Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium. The first pitch is set for Noon.

Schedule

Next Event

Team Stats

Brayden Horton

Kane Kepley

Tanner Marsh

Aidan Sweatt

Players Mentioned

Macaddin Dye

Talor Grubbs

Cole Hertzler

Brayden Horton

Todd Hudson

Kane Kepley