Saturday, May 25
Ruston, LA
1:30 PM ET/12:30 PM CT
Liberty University
24-33
7
at
8
Louisiana Tech
44-16
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 12 | 0 |
| Louisiana Tech | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | X | 8 | 10 | 1 |
No. 5 Seed Liberty’s Rally Falls Short, Edged by No. 1 Seed LA Tech 8-7
5/25/2024 6:21:00 PM | Baseball
RUSTON, LA. – Second baseman Aidan Sweatt pulled the Flames to within one with a two-run home run in the top of the ninth, but No. 5 seed Liberty's rally fell short as the No. 1 seed Louisiana Tech Bulldogs held on for an 8-7 win in Game 12 of the CUSA Baseball Championship at J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park.
With the victory, Louisiana Tech forces an elimination against Liberty tonight at 8:30 p.m. EST/7:30 p.m. CST to determine which team will advance to tomorrow's CUSA Championship Final.
Trailing 8-5 in the top of the ninth, Flames center fielder Kane Kepley led off the inning with a single and was aboard as Sweatt lined his fifth home run over the left field wall, cutting the Bulldogs lead to 8-7. Two batters later designated hitter Todd Hudson, who led all players in the game with three hits, singled to put the tying run on base with one out. However, national saves leader Ethan Bates was able to retire the next two hitters to close out the victory for Louisiana Tech.
The two teams traded the lead in the early innings. After Liberty erased a 4-3 Louisiana Tech lead with two runs in the top of the third inning to grab a 5-4 advantage, the Bulldogs answered in the bottom of the inning with two runs to take back the lead for good.
Besides Hudson's three hits and two RBI, Sweatt had two hits and two RBI in the contest. Liberty left fielder Noah Rabon hit his second home run of the season in the contest.
Liberty drops to 24-33 overall. Louisiana Tech staves off elimination and improves to 44-16.
Box Score Highlights
Records: Liberty (24-33); Louisiana Tech (44-16)
Location: J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park
WP: Connor Nation (5-0) | LP: Trey Carter (0-1) | SV: Ethan Bates (17)
Scoring Summary
1st – LIBERTY – Rabon homers, Hudson and Sweatt score, 3-0
1st – LATECH – Corona homers, Bates and Davis score, 3-3
2nd – LIBERTY – Bates doubles, Davis scores, 4-3
3rd – LIBERTY – Hudson doubles, Sweatt and Kepley score, 5-4
3rd - LATECH – Comeaux doubles, Ballard scores, 5-5
3rd – LATECH – Furr flies out, Myers scores, 6-5
4th – LATECH – Ballard hits into a fielder's choice, Bates scores, 7-5
6th – LATECH – Bates scores on a wild pitch, 8-5
9th – LIBERTY – Sweatt homers, Kepley scores, 8-7
Notable Numbers
- Liberty outhit Louisiana Tech, 12-10, in the contest. The Bulldogs committed the game's only error.
- The Flames left eight men on base. The Bulldogs left 11 men on base.
- Liberty used three pitchers in the game. The second, Trey Carter, took the loss. He gave up two runs on two hits over 2/3 innings. He walked two.
- Right-hander Josh Swink finished out the game for the Flames. He allowed two runs on three hits over the final five innings. He struck out five and walked five.
- Louisiana Tech reliever Connor Nation records the win. The third of four Bulldogs to pitch in the contest, he gave up two runs on five hits over four innings. He struck out five and did not walk a batter.
- Bates picks up a save, recording all three outs in the ninth. He allowed one hit and struck out a batter.
- Catcher Jorge Corona had two hits, including his 16th home run of the season for the Bulldogs. He also knocked in three runs.
Beyond the Box Score
- Louisiana Tech's victory forces an elimination game between the Flames and Bulldogs this evening. The winner will advance to tomorrow's final against Dallas Baptist. The loser will be eliminated.
- Hudson has at least one hit in each of his last six games and records his second three-hit game of the season. The designated hitter has hit .417 (10-for-24) with three home runs, six RBI and seven runs scored over the span.
- Sweatt records his 17th multi-hit game this season. He is second on the Flames in multi-hit games behind outfielder Kane Kepley.
- Swink's six-inning outing was the longest of the freshman's career. The right-hander had not gone further than 2 1/3 innings in any of his previous outings.
Up Next
Liberty and Louisiana Tech meet again this evening to decide which team advances to tomorrow's CUSA title game. Game time at J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. EST/7:30 p.m. CST.
With the victory, Louisiana Tech forces an elimination against Liberty tonight at 8:30 p.m. EST/7:30 p.m. CST to determine which team will advance to tomorrow's CUSA Championship Final.
Trailing 8-5 in the top of the ninth, Flames center fielder Kane Kepley led off the inning with a single and was aboard as Sweatt lined his fifth home run over the left field wall, cutting the Bulldogs lead to 8-7. Two batters later designated hitter Todd Hudson, who led all players in the game with three hits, singled to put the tying run on base with one out. However, national saves leader Ethan Bates was able to retire the next two hitters to close out the victory for Louisiana Tech.
The two teams traded the lead in the early innings. After Liberty erased a 4-3 Louisiana Tech lead with two runs in the top of the third inning to grab a 5-4 advantage, the Bulldogs answered in the bottom of the inning with two runs to take back the lead for good.
Besides Hudson's three hits and two RBI, Sweatt had two hits and two RBI in the contest. Liberty left fielder Noah Rabon hit his second home run of the season in the contest.
Liberty drops to 24-33 overall. Louisiana Tech staves off elimination and improves to 44-16.
Box Score Highlights
Records: Liberty (24-33); Louisiana Tech (44-16)
Location: J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park
WP: Connor Nation (5-0) | LP: Trey Carter (0-1) | SV: Ethan Bates (17)
Scoring Summary
1st – LIBERTY – Rabon homers, Hudson and Sweatt score, 3-0
1st – LATECH – Corona homers, Bates and Davis score, 3-3
2nd – LIBERTY – Bates doubles, Davis scores, 4-3
3rd – LIBERTY – Hudson doubles, Sweatt and Kepley score, 5-4
3rd - LATECH – Comeaux doubles, Ballard scores, 5-5
3rd – LATECH – Furr flies out, Myers scores, 6-5
4th – LATECH – Ballard hits into a fielder's choice, Bates scores, 7-5
6th – LATECH – Bates scores on a wild pitch, 8-5
9th – LIBERTY – Sweatt homers, Kepley scores, 8-7
Notable Numbers
- Liberty outhit Louisiana Tech, 12-10, in the contest. The Bulldogs committed the game's only error.
- The Flames left eight men on base. The Bulldogs left 11 men on base.
- Liberty used three pitchers in the game. The second, Trey Carter, took the loss. He gave up two runs on two hits over 2/3 innings. He walked two.
- Right-hander Josh Swink finished out the game for the Flames. He allowed two runs on three hits over the final five innings. He struck out five and walked five.
- Louisiana Tech reliever Connor Nation records the win. The third of four Bulldogs to pitch in the contest, he gave up two runs on five hits over four innings. He struck out five and did not walk a batter.
- Bates picks up a save, recording all three outs in the ninth. He allowed one hit and struck out a batter.
- Catcher Jorge Corona had two hits, including his 16th home run of the season for the Bulldogs. He also knocked in three runs.
Beyond the Box Score
- Louisiana Tech's victory forces an elimination game between the Flames and Bulldogs this evening. The winner will advance to tomorrow's final against Dallas Baptist. The loser will be eliminated.
- Hudson has at least one hit in each of his last six games and records his second three-hit game of the season. The designated hitter has hit .417 (10-for-24) with three home runs, six RBI and seven runs scored over the span.
- Sweatt records his 17th multi-hit game this season. He is second on the Flames in multi-hit games behind outfielder Kane Kepley.
- Swink's six-inning outing was the longest of the freshman's career. The right-hander had not gone further than 2 1/3 innings in any of his previous outings.
Up Next
Liberty and Louisiana Tech meet again this evening to decide which team advances to tomorrow's CUSA title game. Game time at J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. EST/7:30 p.m. CST.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Nation,C (5-0)
L: Carter, Trey (0-1)
S: Bates,E (17)
Batting:
2B: Dye, Macaddin 1 ; Hudson, Todd 1
HR: Sweatt, Aidan 1 ; Rabon, Noah 1
RBI: Sweatt, Aidan 2 ; Hudson, Todd 2 ; Rabon, Noah 3
Base Running:
RUNS: Kepley, Kane 2 ; Sweatt, Aidan 2 ; Dye, Macaddin 1 ; Hudson, Todd 1 ; Rabon, Noah 1
SB: Simmons, John 1
Batting:
2B: Bates,E 1 ; Comeaux,G 1
HR: Corona,J 1
RBI: Bates,E 1 ; Corona,J 3 ; Ballard,M 1 ; Comeaux,G 1 ; Furr,K 1
SF: Furr,K 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Davis,D 2 ; Bates,E 3 ; Corona,J 1 ; Ballard,M 1 ; Myers,A 1
HBP: Bates,E 2 ; Myers,A 1 ; Furr,K 1
Game Leaders
p/dh
AB
4
R
1
H
3
RBI
2
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
0
AB
5
R
2
H
2
RBI
2
AB
5
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
RHP
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INF/OF
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/ Baseball
LHP
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