Lady Flames Wrap Up Big South Regular-Season Title with 1-0 Shutout of Eagles
5/5/2018 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Liberty clinched its second Big South regular-season softball title in a row, shutting out the visiting Winthrop Eagles, 1-0, on Saturday at Kamphuis Field at Liberty Softball Stadium.
Liberty (44-12, 18-3) won 14 straight games overall to end the regular season, setting a new program record for overall winning streak. The Lady Flames also have captured their fifth conference regular-season championship, and second in a row. Liberty extended its program-record home winning streak to 18 games, dating to March 10. Winthrop finishes its regular season at 17-30, 7-14 in Big South play. In order to qualify for the Big South Softball Championship, the Eagles need Radford to sweep Charleston Southern today.
The Lady Flames honored their five seniors – Jessica Cicerchia, Madi Clarke, Cassie Gingerich, Alexia Taylor and Tori Zavodny – with a pregame ceremony. All five seniors were in the starting lineup, and Taylor drove in the game's only run.
Julia DiMartino (25-7) tossed a five-hit shutout, striking out six batters. She became the third player in program history with 200 or more strikeouts in a single season. DiMartino has set a new program single-season record with nine shutouts, while tying Katie Phillips' career record of 23 shutouts.
Kiley Majette (10-16) drew the loss, allowing one run one six hits, walking two and striking out two.
Amber Bishop batted 2-for-3 with two doubles, helping Liberty set a new program single-season record with 94 doubles as a team. Kaitlin McFarland went 2-for-3, while Taylor hit a sacrifice fly, boosting her program-record career sac fly total to 10.
Five different Eagles had one hit apiece.
Liberty generated a great scoring chance right off the bat in the first inning, as Autumn Bishop drew a walk and Amber Bishop doubled down the right-field line. However, Autumn Bishop was erased at the plate trying to score on a wild pitch. Majette then got Zavodny to fly out and Sarah Robertson to ground out.
The Lady Flames benefitted from two throwing errors in the third, but were not able to cash in, as Zavodny grounded to third for the third out.
Majette pitched around a two-out double by Amber Bishop in the fifth, keeping the game scoreless.
DiMartino struck out the first two batters in the sixth inning, before Morgan Lowers hit an infield single. Lowers went to second on a wild pitch, but Blake Wallert's flyout ended the rally.
The hosts used a sixth-inning rally to scratch across the game's only run, as Robertson, McFarland and Madison Via both singled, loading the bases with nobody out. After one out, Taylor lifted a flyout to right field, plating Robertson for a 1-0 lead.
Winthrop attempted to come back in the seventh, as Ansley Gilreath's one-out single gave the Eagles life. Pinch runner Kamryn Culp took second after a foulout by Kiley Majette. DiMartino got the final out on a comebacker, sealing the championship.
Liberty has set new program records for conference wins (18) and home wins (23) in a single season.
Seeding for the 2018 Big South Softball Championship will be officially announced tomorrow morning. The 2018 Big South Softball Championship will take place next Wednesday through Saturday at Radford Softball Stadium, with the winner getting the conference's automatic bid to the 2018 NCAA Division I Softball Championship.