Liberty Edges FIU 4-3

LYNCHBURG, VA. – The Liberty Flames topped the FIU Panthers 4-3 in a CUSA game at Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium on Friday.

Flames starting pitcher Ben Blair ran his record to 4-1 on the season, giving up one run on four hits over the first seven innings. He struck out nine and did not walk a batter.

Reliever Josh Swink, the last of three pitchers for Liberty, did not allow the tying run to score, coming in the ninth with runners at first and second and one out. The left-hander retired both batters he faced, striking out the final Panther batter with runners at second and third.

Liberty ups its conference record to 4-3 and its overall record to 16-9. FIU falls to 1-6 in CUSA and 8-18 overall.

Box Score Highlights
Records: FIU (8-18, 1-6 CUSA); Liberty (16-9, 4-3 CUSA)
Location: Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium
WP: Ben Blair (4-1) | LP: Preston Prince (2-1) | SV: Josh Swink (3)

Scoring Summary
1^st – LIBERTY – Marsh scores on a balk, 1-0
1^st – LIBERTY – Sorenson grounds out, Jaffe scores, 2-0
4^th – FIU – Cleveland homered, 2-1
4^th – LIBERTY – Swofford scores on a wild pitch, 3-1
5^th - LIBERTY – DeCandido singles, Barone scores, 4-1
8^th – FIU – Rasmussen homers, Candelas scores, 4-3

Baseball Recap - Game 26 - FIU

Notable Numbers
- FIU outhit Liberty, 7-4. The Panthers committed both errors in the game.
- Each team left seven men on base.
- Two of the Flames' four runs came on a balk and a wild pitch.
- FIU starting pitcher Preston Prince takes the loss. The right-hander allowed four runs on three hits over five innings. He struck out seven and walked six.
- Designated hitter Cooper Rasmussen had two hits, including his sixth home run of the season, for the Panthers.
- FIU center fielder Cole Cleveland hit his second home run of the season in the contest.

Beyond the Box Score
- Liberty moves to 10-6 at Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium this season.
- The Flames have played eight one-run games, posting a 3-5 mark.
- Blair struck out eight or more for the sixth game in seven starts. The right-hander did not issue a walk and has posted a 14.75 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He entered the weekend leading CUSA and eighth in the country in the category.
- Swink leads the Flames and is tied for third in CUSA with three saves.
- Right fielder Riley DeCandido knocked in his team-leading 22^nd run of the season with a single in the fifth inning.

Up Next
The Flames and Panthers will meet in the middle game of their three-game conference series tomorrow at Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium. Game time is scheduled for 2 p.m.

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Team Stats

Jordan Jaffe

Riley DeCandido

Easton Swofford

Tucker Moore

Players Mentioned

Ben Blair

Riley DeCandido

Josh Swink