Thursday, May 7
Newark, Del.
2:30 PM ET
Liberty University
28-27
3
vs
0
Western Kentucky
37-13
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 0 |
| Western Ky. | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Third-Seeded Lady Flames Advance with 3-0 Shutout Over No. 2 Seed WKU
5/7/2026 5:53:00 PM | Softball
NEWARK, Del. – Liberty stayed in the winners' bracket with a 3-0 win over No. 2 seed Western Kentucky on day two of the 2026 Conference USA Softball Championship, Thursday at Delaware Softball Diamond.
The Lady Flames improve to 28-27 overall, pushing their winning streak to five games. Liberty will face No. 1 seed Jacksonville State tomorrow at noon, with the winner advancing to Saturday's winner-take-all championship game.
The Hilltoppers fall to 37-13 and will face the host Delaware at 7:30 p.m. in an elimination game.
Liberty 3, WKU 0
Scoring Summary
Liberty – 3rd INNING – Jessee singles to center, McManus advances, Fox scores, 1-0
Liberty – 5th INNING – Carrasquillo singles to center, Jessee and McManus advance, Fox scores, 2-0
Liberty – 5th INNING – Strickland singles to center, Carrasquillo and Norris advance, McManus scores, 3-0
Turning Point
Liberty advances to the semifinal round of the 2026 CUSA Softball Championship. The Lady Flames will face No. 1 seed Jacksonville State, tomorrow at noon, with the winner advancing to Saturday's winner-take-all final.
The Lady Flames improve to 28-27 overall, pushing their winning streak to five games. Liberty will face No. 1 seed Jacksonville State tomorrow at noon, with the winner advancing to Saturday's winner-take-all championship game.
The Hilltoppers fall to 37-13 and will face the host Delaware at 7:30 p.m. in an elimination game.
Liberty 3, WKU 0
Scoring Summary
Liberty – 3rd INNING – Jessee singles to center, McManus advances, Fox scores, 1-0
Liberty – 5th INNING – Carrasquillo singles to center, Jessee and McManus advance, Fox scores, 2-0
Liberty – 5th INNING – Strickland singles to center, Carrasquillo and Norris advance, McManus scores, 3-0
Turning Point
- Trailing 1-0 and yet to get a hit in the game, WKU got an infield single from Annie White with one out in the bottom of the fourth. With two outs, Maci Masters hit a ground rule double. Camden Anders then struck out Kendle White, stranding two runners in scoring position.
- The Lady Flames scored on bases-loaded singles by Alexia Carrasquillo and Maci Strickland in the top of the fifth, building a 3-0 lead. Rylan Smith came on in relief and struck out the next two batters.
- Liberty outhit WKU 10-2 for the game. The Lady Flames left eight runners on base, twice leaving the bases loaded. The Hilltoppers stranded four.
- Camden Anders (14-6) pitched her second shutout in a row and third of the season. She yielded two hits and two walks, striking out five.
- WKU's Erica Houge (21-6) drew the loss, allowing three runs on nine hits, walking two in 4 1/3 innings. Rylan Smith allowed one hit and struck out three in 2 2/3 innings.
- Savannah Jessee batted 3-for-4 with one RBI for Liberty, while Brynn McManus batted 2-for-3 with one run scored. Ella Fox scored twice. Savanah Whatley went 2-for-3, while Alexia Carrasquillo and Maci Strickland had one RBI apiece.
- Liberty leads WKU 8-5 in the all-time softball series. The Lady Flames are 2-0 against the Hilltoppers in CUSA Softball Championship play, downing WKU in the 2024 CUSA title game.
- Today was Liberty's eighth shutout of the season, with seven of them coming against CUSA opponents.
- Today was Liberty's 18th all-time conference tournament shutout.
- Anders is the third Liberty player with two shutouts in a single conference tournament, joining current Liberty pitching coach Emily Kirby (2021) and Elena Escobar (2025).
- Anders has tossed 18 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings, a streak which started last Thursday at Kennesaw State.
- Jessee has recorded six RBI through the first two games of the CUSA Softball Championship.
Liberty advances to the semifinal round of the 2026 CUSA Softball Championship. The Lady Flames will face No. 1 seed Jacksonville State, tomorrow at noon, with the winner advancing to Saturday's winner-take-all final.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Anders, Camden (14-6)
L: Erica Houge (21-6)
Batting:
RBI: Jessee, Savannah 1 ; Carrasquillo, Alexia 1 ; Strickland, Maci 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Fox, Ella 2 ; McManus, Brynn 1
Batting:
2B: Maci Masters 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
0
H
3
RBI
1
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
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UTL
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/ SoftballINF
/ SoftballLiberty Softball Show with Dot Richardson, Alexia Carrasquillo and Camden Anders.
Wednesday, May 06
Lady Flames Softball Podcast: CUSA Tournament Preview + Dot Richardson and Maci Strickland Join!
Tuesday, May 05
Aubry Norris: A Bigger Purpose
Monday, May 04
Alexia Carrasquillo: Following God's Plan
Wednesday, April 29