Lost the battle – Won the war
Contact — Sophomore Tori Zavodny connects during Saturday’s doubleheader. Photo credit: Leah Seavers
Game 2: CSU 5 LU 1
The Liberty Lady Flames softball team fell to the Charleston Southern Lady Buccaneers 5-1 Saturday, April 23 at Kamphuis Field.
The game was the second of a doubleheader. The Lady Flames took the first game 1-0 in eight innings.
In the second game, Liberty got on the board in the first inning. Sophomore outfielder Tori Zavodny reached first base on a fielder’s choice with one out.
Freshman shortstop Sarah Robertson smacked a triple into deep center field that drove in Zavodny for the Lady Flames first and only run of the game. Robertson was stranded at third at the end of the inning.
“We hit the ball hard in this game,” Head Coach Dot Richardson said. “We had our opportunities.”
Charleston Southern rebounded in the third inning, scoring three runs to take the 3-1 lead.
In the bottom of the third, sophomore catcher Alexia Taylor led off with a double down the left field line.
She would be the only base runner the Lady Flames had in the inning and was stranded on base as well.
In the fourth inning, still trailing 3-1, sophomore right fielder Madi Clarke came up to bat for the Lady Flames.
Clarke drilled the ball to the center field wall. Once again she was stranded on base.
“It’s frustrating because I know all around we can hit the ball pretty well,” Clarke said. “I feel as a team when a few people are hitting, then we all hit or vice versa. If somebody is not hitting, then sometimes none of us hit.”
Liberty had a few more opportunities in the final innings to score, but ended up coming away with no runs while the Lady Buccaneers extended their lead.
The Buccaneers came away with the 5-1 victory.
“We have three starters out, so I really want to give my hats off to the players that are out there right now,” Richardson said.
“They’re doing a really good job. I’m trying to make sure there is a good balance between defensive talent and offensive talent.”
The Lady Flames finished the game with five hits.
Both Taylor and Clarke had two each and Robertson added one with the team’s only RBI of the game.
Senior pitcher Chandler Ball went 4 1/3 innings, allowing four runs on five hits with four strikeouts. Junior Kenzie Friesen pitched 2 2/3 innings giving up one hit and recording two strikeouts.
Game 2: Liberty 3, CSU 2
Family — The Lady Flames huddled up before their game against Charleston Southern. Photo credit: Leah Seavers
The Lady Flames softball team bounced back from a second-game loss to grab the series from Charleston Southern, winning 3-2, April 24 at the Kamphuis Field.
“(Coach Richardson) just emphasized how important it was to take this series, and that yesterday was over,” Liberty senior third baseman Kassidy McCoy said.
“We just needed to flush it and just come out strong like the first game yesterday.”
The Lady Flames went up 2-0 in the first inning.
Freshman second baseman Rylee Reynolds doubled to bring home freshman Deidra See and sophomore Tori Zavodny to take the early lead for Liberty.
Liberty freshman pitcher Julia DiMartino stepped up continuing her strong play in recent games to pitch a shutout through the first four innings.
“(DiMartino) has confidence, so we have confidence,” Reynolds said. “It gives us more confidence hitting too.”
The Buccaneers looked to cut into Liberty’s lead in the third inning with the bases loaded from two singles and a walk, but DiMartino stayed cool to strikeout CSU freshman Jade Gandara. Dimartino then got CSU junior Brittany McPherson to ground out to close the inning.
Liberty’s lead was pushed to 3-0 in the fourth inning after McCoy doubled to right center to plate Reynolds.
Charleston Southern began to rally in the fifth inning when Gandara hit a single, putting runners on first and second base.
Again DiMartino pitched her way out of a jam by striking out McPherson, ending the inning.
The deficit was cut to one when CSU senior Natalie Yonan made it home from a junior Stephanie Bergmann single hit deep into the outfield in the top of the sixth.
DiMartino pitched three-up, three-down in the final inning to seal the victory for Liberty.
“When you can have pitchers that strikeout batters, it makes life so much easier,” Richardson said.
“I’m really excited that we have Julia DiMartino right now just really firing the ball on all four cylinders. I know her team is proud of her as well.”
With just six games left in the season, Richardson hopes to get her team healthy for a series at Radford slated next for the Lady Flames April 26-27.
Day is a sports reporter.
Collier is a sports reporter.