
Barone Hits 3 Home Runs as Liberty Dumps Duke 17-7
4/14/2026 11:14:00 PM | Baseball
Barone hit three of Liberty's five home runs in the game. The left fielder connected for two-run home runs in the first, third and eighth innings to become the first Liberty Flame to hit three home runs in a game since 2022. Barone takes over the team lead with eight home runs on the season.
After the Blue Devils tied the game at 7-7 in the bottom of the fourth inning, the Flames plated 10 unanswered in the victory.
Liberty center fielder Josh Campos also had three hits, including his seventh home run of the season, and three RBI. He hit back-to-back home runs with Flames catcher Kyle Hvidsten, who hit his third of the year, in the second inning. Hvidsten went 2-for-2 with a walk, two RBI and four runs scored in the contest.
Liberty has won 11 of its last 12 games, upping its record to 26-10 on the year. Duke drops to 22-17.
Box Score Highlights
Records: Liberty (26-10); Duke (22-17)
Location: Durham, N.C. (Jack Coombs Field)
WP: Jackson Evans (2-0) | LP: Drew Bryan (1-2)
Scoring Summary
1st – LIBERTY – Sorenson grounds out, Marsh scores, 1-0
1st – LIBERTY – Barone homers, DeCandido scores, 3-0
1st – DUKE – Strand flies out, Hamilton scores, 3-1
1st – DUKE – Anderson singles, Smith scores on a throwing error, 3-2
2nd – LIBERTY – Hvidsten homers, 4-2
2nd – LIBERTY – Campos homers, 5-2
2nd – DUKE – Lamdin homers, Zorn scores, 5-4
2nd – DUKE – Smith singles, Hamilton scores, 5-5
2nd – DUKE – DiMartini hit by pitch, Smith scores, 6-5
3rd – LIBERTY – Barone homers, Sorenson scores, 7-6
4th – DUKE – DiMartini homers, 7-7
5th – LIBERTY – Hvidsten doubles, Swofford scores, 8-7
5th – LIBERTY – Campos singles, Scilly and Hvidsten score, 10-7
7th – LIBERTY – Marsh reaches on a dropped fly ball, Hvidsten and Campos score, 12-7
8th – LIBERTY – Barone homers, Sorenson scores, 14-7
8th – LIBERTY – Campos reaches on a fielder's choice, Swofford scores on an error, 15-7
8th – LIBERTY – Marsh reaches on a dropped fly ball, Hvidsten scores, 16-7
9th – LIBERTY – Fulk singles, Jaffe scores, 17-7

Notable Numbers
- Duke outhit Liberty, 12-11. The Flames committed one error. The Blue Devils made four errors.
- Liberty left 10 men on base. Duke also left 10 men on base.
- The Flames drew seven bases on balls and were hit by a pitch six times.
- Right fielder Riley DeCandido also had two hits and scored a run for Liberty.
- Liberty used six pitchers in the game.
- Reliever Jackson Evans picks up the win. He gave up one run on two hits over one inning of work.
- Flames right-hander Brandon Dahlman allowed one hit over three innings of scoreless relief from the fifth through seventh innings. He struck out three.
- Duke reliever Drew Bryan, the third of eight pitchers in the game, takes the loss. He allowed two runs on no hits, striking out two and walking one.
- Center fielder Michael DiMartini and shortstop Jake Lamdin each hit two-run home runs for the Blue Devils.
Beyond the Box Score
- Tonight's game was the first of two meetings between the Flames and Blue Devils this season.
Liberty and Duke will meet next Tuesday again at Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium.
- Liberty's five home runs tied the Flames' season high. Liberty also hit five home runs in a 12-10 win at UNCG on March 10.
- Barone becomes the first Flame to hit three home runs in a game since Brady Gulakowski belted three in a win over North Florida at Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium on April 22, 2022. Barone has hit five home runs at Jack Coombs Field over the past two seasons. Last year, he belted two at the Blue Devils' home field on Feb. 28, 2025.
- Barone also posted his 11th multi-hit and fourth three-hit game of the year. The left fielder collects a career-high six RBI, surpassing his previous high of five in last season's 12-4 win at Duke.
- Campos records his eighth multi-hit and second three-hit game.
- Hvidsten has hit a home run in each of the last three games. He and Campos become the first Flames to hit back-to-back roundtrippers since Tucker Moore and Campos did it in the Flames' win at UNCG on March 10. Hvidsten also collected his third multi-hit game of the season.
- Flames right fielder Riley DeCandido singled in the first inning to extend his reached base safely streak to a team-high 25 consecutive games.
- Liberty third baseman Jordan Jaffe walked in the game, extending his reached base safely streak to 24 games.
Up Next
Liberty continues its road trip by traveling to Dallas, Texas, for a CUSA three-game series against the Dallas Baptist Patriots. The set gets underway at Horner Ballpark on Friday. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:35 EST/6:35 CST.
Not 1? ... Not 2? ... but 3?!
— Liberty Baseball (@LibertyBaseball) April 15, 2026
1st 3 Home Run game for the Flames since 2022
?? @ACCNetworkExtra pic.twitter.com/mvLfttxtoI
Houston, we have lift off! ?? pic.twitter.com/ScbymPXUfL
— Liberty Baseball (@LibertyBaseball) April 14, 2026
Back-to-Back Jacks! pic.twitter.com/XVZpklUCMf
— Liberty Baseball (@LibertyBaseball) April 14, 2026
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Evans, Jackson (2-0)
L: Bryan, Drew (1-2)

Batting:
2B: Hvidsten, Kyle 1
HR: Hvidsten, Kyle 1 ; Barone, Nick 3 ; Campos, Josh 1
RBI: Marsh, Tanner 1 ; Sorenson, Jaxon 1 ; Hvidsten, Kyle 2 ; Fulk, Anderson 1 ; Barone, Nick 6 ; Campos, Josh 3
Base Running:
RUNS: Marsh, Tanner 1 ; Sorenson, Jaxon 2 ; Scilley, Landon 2 ; Hvidsten, Kyle 4 ; Barone, Nick 3 ; Jaffe, Jordan 1 ; Campos, Josh 2 ; DeCandido, Riley 1 ; Swofford, Easton 1
SB: Marsh, Tanner 1 ; Hvidsten, Kyle 1 ; DeCandido, Riley 1
HBP: Sorenson, Jaxon 1 ; Hvidsten, Kyle 2 ; Brinkman, Charlie 1 ; DeCandido, Riley 1 ; Swofford, Easton 1

Batting:
2B: Hamilton, RJ 1
HR: DiMartini, Michael 1 ; Lambdin, Jake 1
RBI: DiMartini, Michael 2 ; Lambdin, Jake 2 ; Strand, Matthew 1 ; Smith, Kaden 1
SF: Strand, Matthew 1
Base Running:
RUNS: DiMartini, Michael 1 ; Hamilton, RJ 2 ; Lambdin, Jake 1 ; Zorn, Adin 1 ; Smith, Kaden 2
SB: Hamilton, RJ 2 ; Smith, Kaden 1
HBP: Anderson, Collin 1 ; DiMartini, Michael 1

















