Saturday, May 16
Murfreesboro, Tenn.
2:00 PM ET/1:00 PM CT
Liberty University
38-18, 21-9
8
at
7
Middle Tennessee
26-29, 12-18
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 11 | 0 |
| Middle Tenn. | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 9 | 1 |
Liberty Closes Out Regular Season with 8-7 Comeback Win over MTSU
5/16/2026 7:15:00 PM | Baseball
MURFREESBORO, TENN. – First baseman Riley DeCandido drove in five runs and catcher Kyle Hvidsten had three hits, as Liberty Flames rallied for an 8-7 win over the Middle Tennessee to close out the 2026 regular season on Saturday at Reese Smith Jr. Field.
Trailing 7-5 after seven innings, DeCandido had a two-run single in the eighth inning to knot the game at 7-7 and Hvidsten dropped a one-out single into center field to plate the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth. Cooper Harrington sealed the comeback by retiring all three batters he faced in the bottom of the inning to close out the victory.
DeCandido also hit a two-run home run, his sixth of the season, and tied a career high with five RBI in the contest. Meanwhile, Hvidsten went 3-for-4 with an RBI and scored three runs.
Flames center fielder Josh Campos had two hits, walked and belted his team-leading 10th home run.
Liberty finishes the regular season with a 21-9 record in CUSA and finishes in second place in the league standings. The Flames up their overall record to 38-18. Middle Tennessee falls to 12-18 in conference play and 26-29 overall to complete its regular season.
Box Score Highlights
Records: Liberty (38-18, 21-9 CUSA); Middle Tennessee (26-29, 12-18 CUSA)
Location: Murfreesboro, Tenn. (Reese Smith Jr. Field)
WP: Tyler August (6-0) | LP: Bryant Beranek (1-3) | SV: Cooper Harrington (11)
Scoring Summary
2nd - MTSU - Vondolen homers, O'Neill scores, 2-0
4th – MTSU - O'Neill homers, 3-0
5th – LIBERTY - Campos homers, Hvidsten scores, 3-2
5th – LIBERTY - DeCandido homers, Marsh scores, 4-3
6th – LIBERTY - DeCandido grounds out, Hvidsten scores, 5-3
6th – MTSU – Rogers doubles, Brewer scores, 5-4
6th – MTSU – Vondolen singles, Rogers and O'Neill scores, 6-5
7th – MTSU – Nowak homers, 7-5
8th – LIBERTY – DeCandido singles, Campos and Hvidsten score, 7-7
9th – LIBERTY – Hvidsten singles, Swofford scores, 8-7
Notable Numbers
- Liberty outhit Middle Tennessee, 11-9. The Blue Raiders committed the game's lone error.
- Liberty left 10 men on base. Middle Tennessee left three.
- Second baseman Ethan Swofford joined Campos, DeCandido and Hvidsten with two hits. He scored the go-ahead run in the ninth.
- Tyler August, the third of four Flames to pitch in the contest, picks up the win. The right-hander gave up one run on two hits over three innings of relief. He struck out five and did not walk a batter.
- Harrington records his 11th save of the season.
- Middle Tennessee reliever Bryant Beranek takes the loss. The final of five Blue Raiders to pitch in the game, he allowed one run on two hits in an inning of work. He walked two.
- The Blue Raiders hit three home runs in the contest.
- Third baseman Brett Vondohlen had two hits and four RBI for Middle Tennessee. He hit his seventh home run of the season in the game, a two-run shot in the sixth inning.
Beyond the Box Score
- With its win today, Liberty takes the series two games to one. The Flames won all five of their CUSA road series during the regular season, posting a 12-3 conference road record.
- Liberty posts its first winning record in CUSA in its three-year history in the conference. The Flames had not had a record above .500 in conference play in their previous two years.
- The Flames reached 21 wins in conference play for the first time since 2014, when they went 23-3 during the Big South regular season.
- Liberty has come back to win eight games after trailing in the seventh inning or later this season.
- DeCandido ties his single-game RBI total with five. The junior had five RBI in a 9-5 win over Central Michigan on March 7, 2025, at Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium. With two hits, he now has 14 multi-hit games.
- Swofford collected 14 multi-hit games of the season. He has two or more hits in four of the five games.
- Campos ties left fielder Nick Barone for the Liberty home run lead with 10. In addition, Campos collects his 14th multi-hit game.
- August made his team-leading 24th appearance today.
- Harrington records his team-leading 11th save. The sophomore moves into fourth place on the program's single-season save list. Josh Brey holds the single-season record with 16.
Up Next
Liberty travels to Kennesaw, Ga., for the 2026 CUSA Championship. Pool play begins on Wednesday at Mickey Dunn Stadium. The Flames will be the No. 2 seed at the Championship. Their opponents and first game will be announced after the conclusion of conference play later today.
Trailing 7-5 after seven innings, DeCandido had a two-run single in the eighth inning to knot the game at 7-7 and Hvidsten dropped a one-out single into center field to plate the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth. Cooper Harrington sealed the comeback by retiring all three batters he faced in the bottom of the inning to close out the victory.
DeCandido also hit a two-run home run, his sixth of the season, and tied a career high with five RBI in the contest. Meanwhile, Hvidsten went 3-for-4 with an RBI and scored three runs.
Flames center fielder Josh Campos had two hits, walked and belted his team-leading 10th home run.
Liberty finishes the regular season with a 21-9 record in CUSA and finishes in second place in the league standings. The Flames up their overall record to 38-18. Middle Tennessee falls to 12-18 in conference play and 26-29 overall to complete its regular season.
Box Score Highlights
Records: Liberty (38-18, 21-9 CUSA); Middle Tennessee (26-29, 12-18 CUSA)
Location: Murfreesboro, Tenn. (Reese Smith Jr. Field)
WP: Tyler August (6-0) | LP: Bryant Beranek (1-3) | SV: Cooper Harrington (11)
Scoring Summary
2nd - MTSU - Vondolen homers, O'Neill scores, 2-0
4th – MTSU - O'Neill homers, 3-0
5th – LIBERTY - Campos homers, Hvidsten scores, 3-2
5th – LIBERTY - DeCandido homers, Marsh scores, 4-3
6th – LIBERTY - DeCandido grounds out, Hvidsten scores, 5-3
6th – MTSU – Rogers doubles, Brewer scores, 5-4
6th – MTSU – Vondolen singles, Rogers and O'Neill scores, 6-5
7th – MTSU – Nowak homers, 7-5
8th – LIBERTY – DeCandido singles, Campos and Hvidsten score, 7-7
9th – LIBERTY – Hvidsten singles, Swofford scores, 8-7
Notable Numbers
- Liberty outhit Middle Tennessee, 11-9. The Blue Raiders committed the game's lone error.
- Liberty left 10 men on base. Middle Tennessee left three.
- Second baseman Ethan Swofford joined Campos, DeCandido and Hvidsten with two hits. He scored the go-ahead run in the ninth.
- Tyler August, the third of four Flames to pitch in the contest, picks up the win. The right-hander gave up one run on two hits over three innings of relief. He struck out five and did not walk a batter.
- Harrington records his 11th save of the season.
- Middle Tennessee reliever Bryant Beranek takes the loss. The final of five Blue Raiders to pitch in the game, he allowed one run on two hits in an inning of work. He walked two.
- The Blue Raiders hit three home runs in the contest.
- Third baseman Brett Vondohlen had two hits and four RBI for Middle Tennessee. He hit his seventh home run of the season in the game, a two-run shot in the sixth inning.
Beyond the Box Score
- With its win today, Liberty takes the series two games to one. The Flames won all five of their CUSA road series during the regular season, posting a 12-3 conference road record.
- Liberty posts its first winning record in CUSA in its three-year history in the conference. The Flames had not had a record above .500 in conference play in their previous two years.
- The Flames reached 21 wins in conference play for the first time since 2014, when they went 23-3 during the Big South regular season.
- Liberty has come back to win eight games after trailing in the seventh inning or later this season.
- DeCandido ties his single-game RBI total with five. The junior had five RBI in a 9-5 win over Central Michigan on March 7, 2025, at Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium. With two hits, he now has 14 multi-hit games.
- Swofford collected 14 multi-hit games of the season. He has two or more hits in four of the five games.
- Campos ties left fielder Nick Barone for the Liberty home run lead with 10. In addition, Campos collects his 14th multi-hit game.
- August made his team-leading 24th appearance today.
- Harrington records his team-leading 11th save. The sophomore moves into fourth place on the program's single-season save list. Josh Brey holds the single-season record with 16.
Up Next
Liberty travels to Kennesaw, Ga., for the 2026 CUSA Championship. Pool play begins on Wednesday at Mickey Dunn Stadium. The Flames will be the No. 2 seed at the Championship. Their opponents and first game will be announced after the conclusion of conference play later today.
HVIDSTEN WITH THE GO-AHEAD SINGLE??
— Liberty Baseball (@LibertyBaseball) May 16, 2026
?? @ESPNPlus pic.twitter.com/cjbYOQEnmw
2-run deficit? Not anymore ??
— Liberty Baseball (@LibertyBaseball) May 16, 2026
?? @ESPNPlus pic.twitter.com/GSWCOsIiFc
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: August, Tyler (6-0)
L: Bryant Beranek (1-3)
S: Harrington, Cooper (11)
Batting:
2B: Hvidsten, Kyle 1
HR: DeCandido, Riley 1 ; Campos, Josh 1
RBI: DeCandido, Riley 5 ; Hvidsten, Kyle 1 ; Campos, Josh 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Marsh, Tanner 1 ; DeCandido, Riley 1 ; Swofford, Easton 1 ; Hvidsten, Kyle 3 ; Campos, Josh 2
SB: Barone, Nick 1 ; Swofford, Easton 1
HBP: Hvidsten, Kyle 1
Batting:
2B: Layne Akers 1 ; Dean O'Neill 1 ; Brett Rogers 1
HR: Owen Nowak 1 ; Dean O'Neill 1 ; Brett Vondohlen 1
RBI: Owen Nowak 1 ; Dean O'Neill 1 ; Brett Rogers 1 ; Brett Vondohlen 4
Base Running:
RUNS: Owen Nowak 1 ; Nathan Brewer 1 ; Dean O'Neill 3 ; Brett Rogers 1 ; Brett Vondohlen 1
CS: Brett Vondohlen 1
HBP: Dean O'Neill 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
3
H
3
RBI
1
AB
5
R
1
H
2
RBI
5
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
2
Players Mentioned
RHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ BaseballOF
/ BaseballINF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballC
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Wednesday, April 29