Saturday, May 2
Las Cruces, N.M.
7:45 PM ET/5:45 PM MT
Liberty University
34-13, 17-6
9
at
7
New Mexico State
19-26, 8-15
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 9 | 0 |
| New Mexico St. | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 16 | 3 |
Barone’s 3-Run 9th-Inning Home Run Pushes Flames Past Aggies 9-7
5/3/2026 12:59:00 AM | Baseball
LAS CRUCES, N.M. – Trailing 7-6 in the top of the ninth, left fielder Nick Barone blasted a three-run home run to give Liberty the lead, as the Flames topped the New Mexico State Aggies 9-7 Saturday evening at Presley Askew Field.
After falling behind 7-3 in the sixth inning, Liberty scored six unanswered runs to storm back for the victory. The Flames scored three runs in the seventh inning on two-out singles by first baseman Jaxon Sorenson and Barone to cut their deficit to 7-6.
In the top of the ninth, right fielder Riley DeCandido led off the inning with a single and moved into scoring position on an Aggie throwing error on a fielder's choice ground ball by third baseman Jordan Jaffee. After both runners were moved into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt by Sorenson, Barone followed by belting a 1-0 pitch over the left field wall to put Liberty in front 9-6.
Right-hander Cooper Harrington pitched a scoreless home half of the ninth to seal the Flames' victory.
Liberty reliever Tyler August entered the contest with one out in the sixth and held New Mexico State to two hits over 2 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing the Flames to rally for the win.
Barone had two hits and four RBI in the contest. His home run was his team-leading 10th of the season.
Sorenson also collected two hits and three RBI, while DeCandido added two hits, an RBI and scored three runs in the game for the Liberty.
With the victory, Liberty takes the series with one game remaining tomorrow. The Flames, who have won five straight games, up their record to 17-6 in CUSA play and 34-13 overall. The Aggies drop to 8-15 in conference and 19-26 overall.
Box Score Highlights
Records: Liberty (34-13, 17-6 CUSA); New Mexico State (19-26, 8-15 CUSA)
Location: Las Cruces, N.M. (Presley Askew Field)
WP: Tyler August (5-0) | LP: Julio Ramos (1-1) | SV: Cooper Harrington (8)
Scoring Summary
1st – LIBERTY – Sorenson single, DeCandido scores, 1-0
2nd – NMSU – Kaufman singled, Vest scores, 1-1
3rd – LIBERTY – DeCandido grounded out, Campos scores, 2-1
3rd – NMSU – Solorzano homers, 2-2
4th – NMSU – Clough singles, Meluskey scores, 3-2
4th – NMSU – Taclas singles, Woodcook scores, 4-2
4th – NMSU – Daniels singles, Clough scores, 5-2
5th – LIBERTY – DeCandido steals second, Hvidsten scores, 5-3
5th – NMSU – Campbell scores on a wild pitch, 6-3
6th – NMSU – Vest bunts, Solorzano scores, 7-3
7th – LIBERTY – Sorenson singles, Marsh and Campos score, 7-5
7th – LIBERTY – Barone singles, DeCandido scores, 7-6
9th – LIBERTY – Barone homers, Jaffe and DeCandido, 9-7
Notable Numbers
- New Mexico State outhit Liberty, 16-9, in the contest. The Aggies committed three errors in the contest, while the Flames did not make an error.
- Liberty left seven men on base. New Mexico State left 10 men on base.
- August picks up the win. He struck out four and did not walk a batter during his appearance.
- Harrington earns his eighth save of the season with a scoreless ninth.
- New Mexico State reliever Julio Ramos takes the loss. The last of three Aggie pitchers in the contest, he gave up three runs on two hits over 2 1/3 innings. He struck out four and did not walk a batter.
- New Mexico State first baseman Steve Solorzano had three hits, including a home run, in the contest.
Beyond the Box Score
- With victories in the first two games of the series, Liberty takes the three-game series with one game remaining.
- Barone hits his second home run of the season in the ninth inning. The left fielder also hit a grand slam to tie the game in Liberty's 6-5 victory at Western Kentucky on April 4. He reaches a double-digit home run total for the second consecutive year. Last season, he hit 12 home runs for the Flames.
- With two hits in the contest, Sorenson collects his 13th multi-hit game. In addition, the Liberty first baseman knocked in his 45th run of the season. Sorenson had driven in 45 or more runs in each of his two seasons at Liberty. Last year, he had 50 RBI.
- Liberty shortstop Tanner Marsh singled in the seventh inning to extend his hitting streak to 11 games.
- Flames third baseman Jordan Jaffe singled in the fifth inning. He has at least one hit in 11 straight games and has reached base safely in a team-high 35 consecutive games.
- DeCandido collects his fifth straight multi-hit game. The Flames' right fielder has 12 multi-hit games on the year.
- August has not allowed a run since April 2 at Western Kentucky. The right-hander has not given up a run over his last six outings. He has struck out 17 and walked three over 11 2/3 innings during the span.
Up Next
The Flames and Aggies will play the regularly scheduled game between the two on Saturday. Game time is scheduled for 7:45 pm EST/5:45 pm MST.
After falling behind 7-3 in the sixth inning, Liberty scored six unanswered runs to storm back for the victory. The Flames scored three runs in the seventh inning on two-out singles by first baseman Jaxon Sorenson and Barone to cut their deficit to 7-6.
In the top of the ninth, right fielder Riley DeCandido led off the inning with a single and moved into scoring position on an Aggie throwing error on a fielder's choice ground ball by third baseman Jordan Jaffee. After both runners were moved into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt by Sorenson, Barone followed by belting a 1-0 pitch over the left field wall to put Liberty in front 9-6.
Right-hander Cooper Harrington pitched a scoreless home half of the ninth to seal the Flames' victory.
Liberty reliever Tyler August entered the contest with one out in the sixth and held New Mexico State to two hits over 2 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing the Flames to rally for the win.
Barone had two hits and four RBI in the contest. His home run was his team-leading 10th of the season.
Sorenson also collected two hits and three RBI, while DeCandido added two hits, an RBI and scored three runs in the game for the Liberty.
With the victory, Liberty takes the series with one game remaining tomorrow. The Flames, who have won five straight games, up their record to 17-6 in CUSA play and 34-13 overall. The Aggies drop to 8-15 in conference and 19-26 overall.
Box Score Highlights
Records: Liberty (34-13, 17-6 CUSA); New Mexico State (19-26, 8-15 CUSA)
Location: Las Cruces, N.M. (Presley Askew Field)
WP: Tyler August (5-0) | LP: Julio Ramos (1-1) | SV: Cooper Harrington (8)
Scoring Summary
1st – LIBERTY – Sorenson single, DeCandido scores, 1-0
2nd – NMSU – Kaufman singled, Vest scores, 1-1
3rd – LIBERTY – DeCandido grounded out, Campos scores, 2-1
3rd – NMSU – Solorzano homers, 2-2
4th – NMSU – Clough singles, Meluskey scores, 3-2
4th – NMSU – Taclas singles, Woodcook scores, 4-2
4th – NMSU – Daniels singles, Clough scores, 5-2
5th – LIBERTY – DeCandido steals second, Hvidsten scores, 5-3
5th – NMSU – Campbell scores on a wild pitch, 6-3
6th – NMSU – Vest bunts, Solorzano scores, 7-3
7th – LIBERTY – Sorenson singles, Marsh and Campos score, 7-5
7th – LIBERTY – Barone singles, DeCandido scores, 7-6
9th – LIBERTY – Barone homers, Jaffe and DeCandido, 9-7
Notable Numbers
- New Mexico State outhit Liberty, 16-9, in the contest. The Aggies committed three errors in the contest, while the Flames did not make an error.
- Liberty left seven men on base. New Mexico State left 10 men on base.
- August picks up the win. He struck out four and did not walk a batter during his appearance.
- Harrington earns his eighth save of the season with a scoreless ninth.
- New Mexico State reliever Julio Ramos takes the loss. The last of three Aggie pitchers in the contest, he gave up three runs on two hits over 2 1/3 innings. He struck out four and did not walk a batter.
- New Mexico State first baseman Steve Solorzano had three hits, including a home run, in the contest.
Beyond the Box Score
- With victories in the first two games of the series, Liberty takes the three-game series with one game remaining.
- Barone hits his second home run of the season in the ninth inning. The left fielder also hit a grand slam to tie the game in Liberty's 6-5 victory at Western Kentucky on April 4. He reaches a double-digit home run total for the second consecutive year. Last season, he hit 12 home runs for the Flames.
- With two hits in the contest, Sorenson collects his 13th multi-hit game. In addition, the Liberty first baseman knocked in his 45th run of the season. Sorenson had driven in 45 or more runs in each of his two seasons at Liberty. Last year, he had 50 RBI.
- Liberty shortstop Tanner Marsh singled in the seventh inning to extend his hitting streak to 11 games.
- Flames third baseman Jordan Jaffe singled in the fifth inning. He has at least one hit in 11 straight games and has reached base safely in a team-high 35 consecutive games.
- DeCandido collects his fifth straight multi-hit game. The Flames' right fielder has 12 multi-hit games on the year.
- August has not allowed a run since April 2 at Western Kentucky. The right-hander has not given up a run over his last six outings. He has struck out 17 and walked three over 11 2/3 innings during the span.
Up Next
The Flames and Aggies will play the regularly scheduled game between the two on Saturday. Game time is scheduled for 7:45 pm EST/5:45 pm MST.
A Barone Bomb ?? gives the Flames the lead! pic.twitter.com/zmJy0QwvpV
— Liberty Baseball (@LibertyBaseball) May 3, 2026
Some 2-out magic by Sorenson ?? pic.twitter.com/qVJbsKAsuh
— Liberty Baseball (@LibertyBaseball) May 3, 2026
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: August, Tyler (5-0)
L: Julio Ramos (1-1)
S: Harrington, Cooper (8)
Batting:
HR: Barone, Nick 1
RBI: DeCandido, Riley 1 ; Sorenson, Jaxon 3 ; Barone, Nick 4
SH: Sorenson, Jaxon 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Marsh, Tanner 1 ; DeCandido, Riley 3 ; Jaffe, Jordan 1 ; Barone, Nick 1 ; Hvidsten, Kyle 1 ; Campos, Josh 2
SB: DeCandido, Riley 1
HBP: DeCandido, Riley 1 ; Hvidsten, Kyle 1
PO: Jaffe, Jordan 1
Batting:
2B: Boston Vest 1
3B: Tommy Meluskey 1
HR: Steve Solorzano 1
RBI: Jonatan Clough 1 ; Steve Solorzano 1 ; Aidan Taclas 1 ; Chris Daniels 1 ; Boston Vest 1 ; Camden Kaufman 1
SH: Boston Vest 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Jonatan Clough 1 ; Steve Solorzano 2 ; Boston Vest 1 ; Bryce Campbell 1 ; Tommy Meluskey 1 ; Dane Woodcook 1
CS: Jonatan Clough 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
3
H
2
RBI
1
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
3
AB
5
R
1
H
2
RBI
4
AB
5
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
RHP
/ BaseballOF
/ BaseballINF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ BaseballINF
/ BaseballINF
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