Friday, February 14
Clearwater, Fla.
12:30 PM ET
Liberty University
7-0
6
vs
4
Charlotte
2-4
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Charlotte
3
0
0
0
0
1
0
4
4
3
Liberty
0
0
2
0
1
3
X
6
8
0
No. 20 Liberty Downs Charlotte, No. 12 Alabama in Clearwater
2/14/2025 8:30:00 PM | Softball
CLEARWATER, Fla. – No. 20 Liberty earned a pair of last at-bat victories on Friday at the Shriners Children's Clearwater Invitational, topping Charlotte (6-4) and No. 12 Alabama (7-6) at Eddie C. Moore Softball Complex.
The Lady Flames pushed their record to 8-0, their best unbeaten start to a season in program history. Charlotte fell to 2-4, while Alabama is now 4-3 on the season.
Game 1
Liberty 6, Charlotte 4
Scoring Summary
Charlotte – 1st INNING – Shedrick doubles, Lord, Ritchie and Williams score, 3-0
Liberty – 3rd INNING – Roupe sacrifice fly to left, Whatley scores, 3-1
Liberty – 3rd INNING – Roberts sacrifice fly to center, Woodard scores, 3-2
Liberty – 5th INNING – McManus singles, Whatley scores on error, 3-3
Charlotte – 6th INNING – Nguyen sacrifice fly, Wellen scores, 4-3
Liberty – 6th INNING – Woodard singles to center, Whately and Henault advance, Madrey scores, 4-4
Liberty – 6th INNING – McManus walks, Woodard and Whatley advance, Henault scores, 5-4
Liberty – 6th INNING – Whatley scores on a passed ball, 6-4
Turning Point
Liberty 7, Alabama 6
Scoring Summary
Liberty – 2nd INNING – Whatley triples to left center, Madrey and Norris score, 2-0
Liberty – 2nd INNING – Woodard singles to left, Whatley scores, 3-0
Alabama – 3rd INNING – Pupillo singles to right, Ellestad and Preuitt score, 3-2
Alabama – 4th INNING – Hawkins singles to left center, Heivilin scores, 3-3
Alabama – 4th INNING – Preuitt singles to center, Vandagriff advances, White and Hawkins scores, 5-3
Liberty – 6th INNING – Henault singles to center, Jessee advances, Doerr scores, 5-4
Liberty – 6th INNING – Whatley singles to left, Henault advances, Jessee scores, 5-5
Liberty – 6th INNING – Roupe singles, advances on error, Whatley and Henault scores, 7-5
Alabama – 7th INNING – Heivilin grounds out, Giles scores, 7-6
Turning Point
Liberty will take on No. 15 Missouri at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow, followed by a 3:30 p.m. contest against Wichita State.
The Lady Flames pushed their record to 8-0, their best unbeaten start to a season in program history. Charlotte fell to 2-4, while Alabama is now 4-3 on the season.
Game 1
Liberty 6, Charlotte 4
Scoring Summary
Charlotte – 1st INNING – Shedrick doubles, Lord, Ritchie and Williams score, 3-0
Liberty – 3rd INNING – Roupe sacrifice fly to left, Whatley scores, 3-1
Liberty – 3rd INNING – Roberts sacrifice fly to center, Woodard scores, 3-2
Liberty – 5th INNING – McManus singles, Whatley scores on error, 3-3
Charlotte – 6th INNING – Nguyen sacrifice fly, Wellen scores, 4-3
Liberty – 6th INNING – Woodard singles to center, Whately and Henault advance, Madrey scores, 4-4
Liberty – 6th INNING – McManus walks, Woodard and Whatley advance, Henault scores, 5-4
Liberty – 6th INNING – Whatley scores on a passed ball, 6-4
Turning Point
- Charlotte manufactured a run to break a 3-3 tie in the top of the sixth inning. After a leadoff walk, the 49ers stole second. A sacrifice sent the runner to third before a go-ahead sacrifice fly.
- The Lady Flames rallied with one out in the sixth. Liberty loaded the bases before Woodard's single tied it up. After a flyout, a bases-loaded walk gave Liberty the lead. Savanah Whatley then scored on a passed ball for the 6-4 edge.
- Liberty outhit Charlotte 8-4 for the game, while the 49ers committed three errors. Both teams left seven runners on base. The Lady Flames issued a season-high nine walks.
- Kaylan Yoder (1-0) earned the win, allowing one run on no hits, walking six and fanning three in 4 1/3 innings. Tyler Oubre pitched 2 2/3 innings, yielding three runs.
- Aubrey Yarnall (1-1) drew the loss, allowing three unearned runs on two hits, walking two.
- Brynn McManus went 3-for-3 with one RBI, while Savannah Woodard batted 2-for-4 with one RBI and one run scored. Savanah Whatley went 1-for-1 with a double and three runs scored.
- Kari Shedrick went 1-for-2 with a double and three RBI for Charlotte.
- Liberty has won each of the last four meetings against Charlotte. The Lady Flames' last meeting with the 49ers was in the first game of the 2024 NCAA Athens Regional, which Liberty won, 6-3.
- The Lady Flames are making their second appearance all-time at the Clearwater Invitational and first since 2020.
- McManus recorded her third career three-hit game and first of the season.
- Whatley tied her career high with three runs scored (also Feb. 17, 2024 against Utah Valley).
Liberty 7, Alabama 6
Scoring Summary
Liberty – 2nd INNING – Whatley triples to left center, Madrey and Norris score, 2-0
Liberty – 2nd INNING – Woodard singles to left, Whatley scores, 3-0
Alabama – 3rd INNING – Pupillo singles to right, Ellestad and Preuitt score, 3-2
Alabama – 4th INNING – Hawkins singles to left center, Heivilin scores, 3-3
Alabama – 4th INNING – Preuitt singles to center, Vandagriff advances, White and Hawkins scores, 5-3
Liberty – 6th INNING – Henault singles to center, Jessee advances, Doerr scores, 5-4
Liberty – 6th INNING – Whatley singles to left, Henault advances, Jessee scores, 5-5
Liberty – 6th INNING – Roupe singles, advances on error, Whatley and Henault scores, 7-5
Alabama – 7th INNING – Heivilin grounds out, Giles scores, 7-6
Turning Point
- In a back-and-forth game, Alabama went ahead, 5-3, with a three-run fourth.
- The Lady Flames regained the lead in the sixth. With one out and two on, Alyssa Henault laced a pinch-hit RBI single. Whatley followed with an RBI single, before Rachel Roupe drove in two runs for a 7-5 lead.
- Alabama got one run in the top of the seventh, but Elena Escobar got the final out with a strikeout.
- Alabama outhit Liberty 12-11. Both teams committed two errors.
- Escobar (2-0) allowed one run on five hits, striking out three in 3 2/3 inning pitched in relief of Paige Bachman.
- Jocelyn Briski (1-2) drew the loss, allowing seven runs (four earned) on nine hits, walking one and fanning four in 5 1/3 innings.
- Savanah Whatley went 2-for-3 with a triple, three RBI and two runs scored. Savannah Jessee batted 2-for-3 with one run scored, while Rachel Roupe hit 2-for-4 with a double and one RBI.
- Four different Alabama batters had two hits apiece.
- At 8-0, Liberty is off to its best start to a season in program history. The Lady Flames' previous best start was 6-0 in 1996, 2018 and 2021.
- Liberty has won each of its last two meetings against Alabama, with the last one before today being April 18, 2023. The Crimson Tide leads the all-time series 5-2.
- The Lady Flames have won 28 games against Top 25 opponents all-time, including 22 under current Head Coach Dot Richardson.
- Liberty has beaten at least one SEC team in every season since 2018.
- Today's game marked the third time this season that Liberty has won when trailing after five innings (also versus Radford and UCF).
- Paige Doerr has a hit in all eight games so far this season.
- This was Liberty's fourth straight game where a relief pitcher earned the win.
- Savannah Woodard was facing her former team, as she played for Alabama from 2020-22.
Liberty will take on No. 15 Missouri at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow, followed by a 3:30 p.m. contest against Wichita State.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Yoder, Kaylan (1-0)
L: Aubrey Yarnall (1-1)
Batting:
2B: Kari Shedrick 1
RBI: Kari Shedrick 3 ; Savanna Nguyen 1
SH: Addison Lund 1
SF: Savanna Nguyen 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Olivia Williams 1 ; Teagan Ritchie 1 ; Jenna Lord 1 ; Christina Wellen 1
SB: Jenna Lord 1 ; Christina Wellen 1
CS: Jasmine Sanchez 1
Batting:
2B: Whatley, Savanah 1
RBI: Woodard, Savannah 1 ; Roupe, Rachel 1 ; McManus, Brynn 1 ; Roberts, Brooke 1
SF: Roupe, Rachel 1 ; Roberts, Brooke 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Woodard, Savannah 1 ; Madrey, KK 1 ; Henault, Alyssa 1 ; Whatley, Savanah 3
SB: Woodard, Savannah 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
3
R
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H
3
RBI
1
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
1
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
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P
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C
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INF
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INF
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P
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