Saturday, April 27
El Paso, Texas
1:00 PM ET/11:00 AM MT
Liberty University
31-18, 19-4
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UTEP
23-17, 9-11
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Liberty
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Liberty Earns 12-1 Run-Rule Win at UTEP
4/27/2024 3:38:00 PM | Softball
EL PASO, Texas – One day after clinching the No. 1 seed in the 2024 CUSA Softball Championship, Liberty scored 12 unanswered runs in a 12-1, five-inning win over UTEP on Saturday at Helen of Troy Softball Complex.
The Lady Flames (31-18, 19-4) run their winning streak to four games and claim the CUSA regular-season title outright. Liberty is the first team since WKU in 2015 to win the Conference USA regular-season softball title in its first season in the conference. UTEP falls to 23-17, 9-11 in conference play.
Scoring Summary
UTEP – 1st INNING – Richard singles to center, Scott advances, Morales scores, 1-0
Liberty – 2nd INNING – Madrey homers to center, Barrett scores, 2-1
Liberty – 3rd INNING – McManus homers to right, Roupe scores, 4-1
Liberty – 3rd INNING – Roberts singles to right, Fortner advances, Madrey and Barrett score, 6-1
Liberty – 3rd INNING – Craine flies out to center, sacrifice fly, Fortner scores, 7-1
Liberty – 4th INNING – McManus advances, Roupe scores on wild pitch, 8-1
Liberty – 4th INNING – Madrey reaches on error, Barrett advances, McManus scores, 9-1
Liberty – 4th INNING – Fortner doubles to right center, Madrey and Barrett score, 11-1
Liberty – 4th INNING – Wilson reaches on error, Fortner scores, 12-1
Turning Point
Liberty and UTEP close out this weekend's series tomorrow at noon Eastern time, 10 a.m. local.
The Lady Flames (31-18, 19-4) run their winning streak to four games and claim the CUSA regular-season title outright. Liberty is the first team since WKU in 2015 to win the Conference USA regular-season softball title in its first season in the conference. UTEP falls to 23-17, 9-11 in conference play.
Scoring Summary
UTEP – 1st INNING – Richard singles to center, Scott advances, Morales scores, 1-0
Liberty – 2nd INNING – Madrey homers to center, Barrett scores, 2-1
Liberty – 3rd INNING – McManus homers to right, Roupe scores, 4-1
Liberty – 3rd INNING – Roberts singles to right, Fortner advances, Madrey and Barrett score, 6-1
Liberty – 3rd INNING – Craine flies out to center, sacrifice fly, Fortner scores, 7-1
Liberty – 4th INNING – McManus advances, Roupe scores on wild pitch, 8-1
Liberty – 4th INNING – Madrey reaches on error, Barrett advances, McManus scores, 9-1
Liberty – 4th INNING – Fortner doubles to right center, Madrey and Barrett score, 11-1
Liberty – 4th INNING – Wilson reaches on error, Fortner scores, 12-1
Turning Point
- UTEP led Liberty 1-0 in the top of the first and had two runners on with one out. However, Lady Flames' starter Katie Love struck out the next two batters.
- Liberty took the lead on KK Madrey's two-run homer in the second inning and never looked back, adding five runs in both the third and fourth.
- Liberty scored a season-high 12 runs on eight hits, while UTEP scored one run on three hits, committing three errors. Both teams stranded five runners
- Liberty's Katie Love (7-4) earned the win, allowing one run on two hits, walking two and striking out two in three innings. Paige Bachman tossed two innings of one-hit relief, with one walk and one strikeout.
- Annika Litterio (1-2) allowed four runs on four hits in a losing effort, walking three and striking out one in 3 2/3 innings. Taja Felder gave up eight runs, six earned, on four hits, with four walks and one strikeout.
- Brynn McManus posted her first career three-hit game, going 3-for-3 with two doubles, a homer, two RBI and two runs scored. KK Madrey batted 1-for-3 with a homer, three RBI and three runs scored, while Raigan Barrett (1-for-2) also scored three runs. Megan Fortner went 1-for-2 with a double, two RBI and two runs scored.
- For UTEP, Aja Richard batted 1-for-2 with one RBI.
- Liberty leads UTEP 3-0 in the all-time series, as the Lady Flames won the only previous meeting, 4-3, on March 27, 2004.
- Liberty has scored nine or more runs in all three games so far this week. This is the first time since Feb. 21-24, 2019 that the Lady Flames have scored nine or more runs in three straight games.
- The Lady Flames' 12 runs were their most since a 14-2 win at Queens, May 6, 2023.
- McManus became the sixth Liberty player with a three-hit game so far this season. KK Madrey and Mary Claire Wilson both posted their first three-hit contest of the year last night.
- Elena Escobar (10-2), Kaylan Yoder (10-7) and Katie Love (7-4) have all earned seven or more wins this season. The last time three Liberty pitchers recorded seven or more victories in the same year was 2018, when Julia DiMartino went 29-8, Chase Cassady was 10-3 and Elizabeth Engler, 8-2.
- Rachel Craine recorded her fourth sacrifice fly of the season. She is now tied with former teammate Devyn Howard (2021-23) for third all-time at Liberty with nine career sacrifice flies.
- Madrey and Barrett both tied their career high with three runs scored today.
- Fortner has now registered 46 career doubles and 130 career RBI, spanning her time at Jacksonville State and Liberty.
Liberty and UTEP close out this weekend's series tomorrow at noon Eastern time, 10 a.m. local.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Love, Katie (7-4)
L: LITTERIO, Annika (1-2)
Batting:
2B: McManus, Brynn 2 ; Fortner, Megan 1
HR: McManus, Brynn 1 ; Madrey, KK 1
RBI: Wilson, Mary Claire 1 ; McManus, Brynn 2 ; Madrey, KK 3 ; Fortner, Megan 2 ; Roberts, Brooke 2 ; Craine, Rachel 1
SF: Craine, Rachel 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Roupe, Rachel 2 ; McManus, Brynn 2 ; Barrett, Raigan 3 ; Madrey, KK 3 ; Fortner, Megan 2
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Batting:
RBI: RICHARD, Ajia 1
SH: HOGAN, Halle 1
Base Running:
RUNS: MORALES, Lexi 1
SB: RICHARD, Ajia 1
Game Leaders
AB
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3
RBI
2
AB
3
R
2
H
1
RBI
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AB
2
R
3
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
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OF
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P
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