Sunday, April 7
Las Cruces, N.M.
1:00 PM ET/11:00 MT
Liberty University
15-16, 7-2
6
at
8
New Mexico State
12-18, 2-7
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty Flames | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 11 | 1 |
| NM State | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | X | 8 | 12 | 0 |
New Mexico State Tops Liberty in Series Finale
4/7/2024 5:36:00 PM | Baseball
LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The New Mexico State Aggies defeated the Liberty Flames 8-6 to salvage the final game of their CUSA series Sunday at Presley Askew Field.
After Liberty took a 6-4 lead in the top of the sixth, New Mexico State scored the final four runs of the contest to prevent the Flames from sweeping the three-game series. The Aggies tied the game with two runs in the sixth and took the lead for good in the seventh on a home run by center fielder Damone Hale.
Liberty first baseman Brian McClellin had two hits, including his sixth home run of the season, and scored twice. Center fielder Kane Kepley also had two hits and drove in three runs for the Flames, while third baseman Cam Foster had three hits in the game.
Liberty falls to 7-2 in CUSA action and 15-16 overall. New Mexico State moves to 2-7 in conference and 12-18 overall.
Box Score Highlights
Records: Liberty (15-16, 7-2 CUSA); New Mexico State (12-18, 2-7 CUSA)
Location: Las Cruces, N.M. (Presley Askew Field)
WP: Saul Sosa (2-1) | LP: Ben Blair (3-2)
Scoring Summary
1st – NMSU – Hale triples, Dumitru scores, 1-0
3rd – LIBERTY – Kepley singles, McClellen scores, 1-1
3rd – LIBERTY – Sweatt flies out, Horton scores, 2-1
3rd – NMSU – Jones homers, 2-2
4th – LIBERTY – Kepley doubles, Horton and Troyer score, 4-2
4th – NMSU – Gallina homers, Gore scores, 4-4
5th – LIBERTY – Troyer flies out, Dye scores, 5-4
6th – LIBERTY – McClellin homers, 6-4
6th - NMSU- Benavidez singles, Namie scores, 6-5
6th – NMSU – Ballesteros grounds out, Gore scores, 6-6
7th – NMSU – Hale homers, 7-6
8th – NMSU – Jones singles, Ballesteros scores, 8-6
Notable Numbers
- New Mexico State edged Liberty, 12-11, in hits. The Flames committed the game's only error.
- Liberty left 11 men on base. New Mexico State left 10.
- Ben Blair, the fourth of five Flames to pitch in the game, takes the loss. The right-hander gave up two runs on five hits over 2 1/3 innings. He walked two.
- Reliever Saul Soto records the win for the Aggies. Soto allowed one run over four hits over the final four innings. He struck out four and walked two.
- Hale's home run was his fifth of the season. The center fielder also had two hits in the contest.
Beyond the Box Score
- Today's loss snaps Liberty's CUSA unbeaten streak at five.
- McClellin hit his fourth home run of the three-game series this afternoon. The first baseman hit .625 (5-for-8) with seven RBI and five runs scored during the series.
- With two hits, Kepley posts his team-leading 12th multi-hit game. The outfielder leads the Flames with a .342 batting average for the season.
- Foster records his third three-hit game of the season. The infielder has reached base safely in 14 consecutive games.
- Left fielder Brayden Horton has at least one hit in each of his last nine games to tie catcher Macaddin Dye for the longest hitting streak by a Flame this season. Horton hit .677 with three RBI and scored seven runs during the series. He has raised his batting average to .333 on the year.
Up Next
Liberty will travel to Blacksburg, Va., for a contest against the No. 11 Virginia Tech Hokies on Wednesday. Game time at English Field at Atlantic Union Bank Park is scheduled for 7 p.m.
After Liberty took a 6-4 lead in the top of the sixth, New Mexico State scored the final four runs of the contest to prevent the Flames from sweeping the three-game series. The Aggies tied the game with two runs in the sixth and took the lead for good in the seventh on a home run by center fielder Damone Hale.
Liberty first baseman Brian McClellin had two hits, including his sixth home run of the season, and scored twice. Center fielder Kane Kepley also had two hits and drove in three runs for the Flames, while third baseman Cam Foster had three hits in the game.
Liberty falls to 7-2 in CUSA action and 15-16 overall. New Mexico State moves to 2-7 in conference and 12-18 overall.
Box Score Highlights
Records: Liberty (15-16, 7-2 CUSA); New Mexico State (12-18, 2-7 CUSA)
Location: Las Cruces, N.M. (Presley Askew Field)
WP: Saul Sosa (2-1) | LP: Ben Blair (3-2)
Scoring Summary
1st – NMSU – Hale triples, Dumitru scores, 1-0
3rd – LIBERTY – Kepley singles, McClellen scores, 1-1
3rd – LIBERTY – Sweatt flies out, Horton scores, 2-1
3rd – NMSU – Jones homers, 2-2
4th – LIBERTY – Kepley doubles, Horton and Troyer score, 4-2
4th – NMSU – Gallina homers, Gore scores, 4-4
5th – LIBERTY – Troyer flies out, Dye scores, 5-4
6th – LIBERTY – McClellin homers, 6-4
6th - NMSU- Benavidez singles, Namie scores, 6-5
6th – NMSU – Ballesteros grounds out, Gore scores, 6-6
7th – NMSU – Hale homers, 7-6
8th – NMSU – Jones singles, Ballesteros scores, 8-6
Notable Numbers
- New Mexico State edged Liberty, 12-11, in hits. The Flames committed the game's only error.
- Liberty left 11 men on base. New Mexico State left 10.
- Ben Blair, the fourth of five Flames to pitch in the game, takes the loss. The right-hander gave up two runs on five hits over 2 1/3 innings. He walked two.
- Reliever Saul Soto records the win for the Aggies. Soto allowed one run over four hits over the final four innings. He struck out four and walked two.
- Hale's home run was his fifth of the season. The center fielder also had two hits in the contest.
Beyond the Box Score
- Today's loss snaps Liberty's CUSA unbeaten streak at five.
- McClellin hit his fourth home run of the three-game series this afternoon. The first baseman hit .625 (5-for-8) with seven RBI and five runs scored during the series.
- With two hits, Kepley posts his team-leading 12th multi-hit game. The outfielder leads the Flames with a .342 batting average for the season.
- Foster records his third three-hit game of the season. The infielder has reached base safely in 14 consecutive games.
- Left fielder Brayden Horton has at least one hit in each of his last nine games to tie catcher Macaddin Dye for the longest hitting streak by a Flame this season. Horton hit .677 with three RBI and scored seven runs during the series. He has raised his batting average to .333 on the year.
Up Next
Liberty will travel to Blacksburg, Va., for a contest against the No. 11 Virginia Tech Hokies on Wednesday. Game time at English Field at Atlantic Union Bank Park is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Saul Soto (2-1)
L: Blair, Ben (3-2)
Batting:
2B: Kepley, Kane 1 ; Marsh, Tanner 1
3B: Foster, Cam 1
HR: McClellin, Brian 1
RBI: Kepley, Kane 3 ; Sweatt, Aidan 1 ; Troyer, Camden 1 ; McClellin, Brian 1
SF: Sweatt, Aidan 1 ; Troyer, Camden 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Dye, Macaddin 1 ; Troyer, Camden 1 ; McClellin, Brian 2 ; Horton, Brayden 2
HBP: Kepley, Kane 1 ; Horton, Brayden 1
Batting:
2B: Nick Gore 1
3B: Damone Hale 1
HR: Keith Jones II 1 ; Damone Hale 1 ; Logan Gallina 1
RBI: Romeo Ballesteros 1 ; Keith Jones II 2 ; Damone Hale 2 ; Logan Gallina 2 ; Kade Benavidez 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Romeo Ballesteros 1 ; Keith Jones II 1 ; Titus Dumitru 1 ; Damone Hale 1 ; Mitch Namie 1 ; Nick Gore 2 ; Logan Gallina 1
SB: Romeo Ballesteros 1 ; Keith Jones II 1 ; Titus Dumitru 1
HBP: Mitch Namie 1 ; Ty Acton 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
0
H
3
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
3
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
1
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
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