Friday, February 20
Lynchburg, Va.
1:00 PM ET
Liberty University
3-8
7
vs
2
Toledo
1-9
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Toledo
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
2
4
0
Liberty
0
0
0
3
2
2
X
7
11
1
Liberty Downs Toledo, Falls to Syracuse on Home-Opening Day
2/20/2026 7:56:00 PM | Softball
LYNCHBURG, Va. -Â Â Liberty opened its home schedule with a 7-2 win over Toledo before falling to Syracuse 5-3 on Friday at Kamphuis Field at Liberty Softball Stadium,
The Lady Flames hold a 3-9 record on the season following day one of the Liberty Softball Classic. Syracuse (6-4) earned wins over both Toledo and Liberty today, while the Rockets fall to 1-9 on the year.
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Game 1
Liberty 7, Toledo 2
Scoring Summary
Liberty – 4th INNING – McManus singles up the middle, Doerr scores, 1-0
Liberty – 4th INNING – Carrasquillo singles up the middle, Norris and McManus score, 3-0
Liberty – 5th INNING – Jessee singles, McManus advances, Doerr and Fox score, 5-0
Toledo – 6th INNING – Abiley singles, advances on error, Hensley and Gober score, 5-2
Liberty – 6th INNING – Whatley sacrifice fly to center, Strickland scores, 6-2
Liberty – 6th INNING – Doerr grounds out, Fox and Byrum advance, Roberts scores, 7-2
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Turning Point
Syracuse 5, Liberty 3
Scoring Summary
Liberty – 1st INNING – Jessee doubles to right center, McManus scores, 1-0
Liberty – 1st INNING – Carrasquillo doubles to left, Jessee scores, 2-0
Syracuse – 3rd INNING – Jackson singles, Burney and Lantier advance, Schemmer scores, 2-1
Syracuse – 3rd INNING – Flores sacrifice fly to right, Burney advances, Lantier scores, 2-2
Syracuse – 3rd INNING – Fox walks, Davison, Taliaferro advance, Burney scores, 3-2
Liberty – 5th INNING – Strickland singles, advances on throw, Jessee advances, McManus scores, 3-3
Syracuse – 7th INNING – Tulua homers to left, Burney scores, 5-3
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Turning Point
Liberty will take on Maryland at noon tomorrow, followed by a 4:30 contest against Syracuse on day two of the Liberty Softball Classic. Â
The Lady Flames hold a 3-9 record on the season following day one of the Liberty Softball Classic. Syracuse (6-4) earned wins over both Toledo and Liberty today, while the Rockets fall to 1-9 on the year.
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Game 1
Liberty 7, Toledo 2
Scoring Summary
Liberty – 4th INNING – McManus singles up the middle, Doerr scores, 1-0
Liberty – 4th INNING – Carrasquillo singles up the middle, Norris and McManus score, 3-0
Liberty – 5th INNING – Jessee singles, McManus advances, Doerr and Fox score, 5-0
Toledo – 6th INNING – Abiley singles, advances on error, Hensley and Gober score, 5-2
Liberty – 6th INNING – Whatley sacrifice fly to center, Strickland scores, 6-2
Liberty – 6th INNING – Doerr grounds out, Fox and Byrum advance, Roberts scores, 7-2
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Turning Point
- Liberty shook off an early start, posting a three-run third inning that featured an RBI double by Brynn McManus and a two-run single by Alexia Carrasquillo. Savannah Jessee's two-run single in the fifth made it 5-0, Lady Flames.
- Toledo responded with two runs in the sixth, which Liberty answered for the 7-2 final.
- Liberty led Toledo 11-4 in hits, with the Lady Flames committing the game's lone error. The Rockets left eight runners on base, while Liberty stranded six.
- Abigail Findlay (1-0) earned her first career win, allowing two runs on four hits, walking three and fanning two in 5 2/3 innings pitched. Kaylan Yoder nailed down the save with 1 1/3 innings of hitless relief during which she allowed one walk.
- Katie McDonald (1-1) drew the loss, allowing three runs on five hits, striking tout two in three innings before giving way to relievers Mady Yackee and Lexi Johnson.
- Paige Doerr went 3-for-4 with one RBI and two runs scored for Liberty, while Savannah Jessee batted 2-for-4 with two RBI. Alexia Carrasquillo doubled and drove in two, while Maci Strickland also hit a double.
- Payton Abiley drove in both runs for Toledo.Â
- Liberty leads Toledo 3-1 in the all-time series, with the Lady Flames winning each of the last two meetings. Toledo's lone win over Liberty came in the opening weekend of Liberty Softball Stadium, a 4-1 Rockets win on March 21, 2015.
- Liberty is now 12-0 in home openers in Liberty Softball Stadium history.
- Doerr recorded her second career three-hit game and first since May 9, 2025 against Louisiana Tech.
- Yoder moved into a tie with Terra Lowe (2004-07) for sixth place in program history with five career saves.
- Findlay joins teammates Camden Anders and Gabby Mike as Lady Flames who have recorded their first career pitching victory this season.Â
Syracuse 5, Liberty 3
Scoring Summary
Liberty – 1st INNING – Jessee doubles to right center, McManus scores, 1-0
Liberty – 1st INNING – Carrasquillo doubles to left, Jessee scores, 2-0
Syracuse – 3rd INNING – Jackson singles, Burney and Lantier advance, Schemmer scores, 2-1
Syracuse – 3rd INNING – Flores sacrifice fly to right, Burney advances, Lantier scores, 2-2
Syracuse – 3rd INNING – Fox walks, Davison, Taliaferro advance, Burney scores, 3-2
Liberty – 5th INNING – Strickland singles, advances on throw, Jessee advances, McManus scores, 3-3
Syracuse – 7th INNING – Tulua homers to left, Burney scores, 5-3
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Turning Point
- Syracuse broke a 3-3 tie in the top of the seventh inning. Jadyn Burney led off with a bunt single. Then, Kaimi Tulua made her first at bat of the game count, launching a two-run homer to left.
- Madison Knight, who started the game at first base, entered the circle as pitcher with two outs in the bottom of the fifth with runners on second and third. She stranded both of those runners and pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings for the win.Â
- Syracuse and Liberty both recorded eight hits, with the Lady Flames committing one error. Liberty left nine runners on base compared to eight stranded by the Orange.
- Knight (4-2) earned the win for Syracuse, pitching 2 1/3 innings of one-hit softball in relief of starter Julianna Verni.
- Gabby Mike (1-5) drew the loss, allowing five runs on seven hits in six innings, walking four and fanning four before Camden Anders pitched the final inning.
- Burney batted 3-for-4 with two runs scored, while Knight went 2-for-3. Tulua had the big hit, a seventh-inning two-run homer.
- Savannah Jessee went 4-for-4 for Liberty with two doubles, one RBI and one run scored. Brynn McManus scored twice, while Alexia Carrasquillo doubled and drove in one.Â
- Syracuse evened the all-time series with Liberty at 1-1, with the only previous meeting being a 3-1 Liberty win over the Orange on Feb. 24, 2017.
- Jessee recorded her first career four-hit game, becoming the first Lady Flame with four hits in a game since Savanah Whatley, April 26, 2025 at Louisiana Tech.
- Mike tied her career high with four strikeouts tonight.
Liberty will take on Maryland at noon tomorrow, followed by a 4:30 contest against Syracuse on day two of the Liberty Softball Classic. Â
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Findlay, Abigail (1-0)
L: K. Mcdonald (1-1)
S: Yoder, Kaylan (1)
Batting:
2B: E. Enriquez 1 ; A. Miller 1 ; A. Hensley 1
RBI: P. Abiley 2
Base Running:
RUNS: J. Gober 1 ; A. Hensley 1
HBP: A. Miller 1
Batting:
2B: McManus, Brynn 1 ; Strickland, Maci 1
RBI: Doerr, Paige 1 ; McManus, Brynn 1 ; Jessee, Savannah 2 ; Carrasquillo, Alexia 2 ; Whatley, Savanah 1
SF: Whatley, Savanah 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Fox, Ella 1 ; Doerr, Paige 2 ; McManus, Brynn 1 ; Norris, Aubry 1 ; Strickland, Maci 1 ; Roberts, Brooke 1
SB: Norris, Aubry 1
CS: Byrum, JaMaya 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
2
H
3
RBI
1
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
2
AB
2
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
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