Jaylen Guy’s Defensive Prowess Steals The Show In Baseball’s Win Over Lipscomb

As the clouds and rain started to scatter, Liberty baseball finally started its first game of the series against Lipscomb after rain pushed the starting time back 15 minutes. Despite the delay, sophomore center fielder Jaylen Guy’s defensive prowess and senior third baseman Trey McDyre’s offensive performance combined to secure a 4-1 win Friday, April 9.

After a couple scoreless innings, Liberty sparked the scoring in the bottom of the third when junior second baseman Will Wagner reached base on fielder’s choice, paving the way for Guy to get the first run of the game and make it 1-0.

Liberty continued to grow its small lead with another run in the bottom of the sixth inning, when senior shortstop Cam Locklear reached base on a fielding error, allowing junior outfielder Aaron Anderson to extend the lead to 2-0. But Lipscomb struck back in the sixth inning with a single, closing the gap to 2-1.

However, Guy stole the show (and the SportsCenter highlight reels) when he managed to complete an eye-popping double play to protect the 2-1 lead in the top of the seventh. Senior pitcher Trevor Delaite had pitched a great game up until the top of the seventh, when he allowed Lipscomb to load the bases with only one out. 

Lipscomb was poised to take the lead – then the moment came. 

Lipscomb third baseman Brian Moore hit a fly ball into shallow center field, but Guy sprawled for the catch to get the out. He then collected himself, with his cap left behind him on the grass, and hurled the ball straight to home plate for the final out of the inning before the Lipscomb man on third base reached home. 

Guy’s impressive play landed the No. 2 spot on SportsCenter that day, helping the Flames escape the bases-loaded jam with no runs allowed.  

“When (the pitchers are) throwing so well, that’s what they look at us to do (play good defense),” Guy said. “It feels good to get out there and make those plays. The best part probably would be the team reaction. That gets me pretty fired up to see all the boys jumping around. It brings the momentum (up) in our dugout as well.”

Despite the Flames’ ability to close out the top of the seventh, they wanted to continue to extend their lead and provide insurance for the rest of the game. In the bottom of the seventh, two Liberty players reached base (Aaron Anderson and Gray Betts). After a tough at bat for Brandon Rohrer and a walk for Cam Locklear, McDyre came to bat. 

With two outs in the inning, McDyre made contact for a double to shallow center field, allowing Anderson and Betts to reach home plate and push the lead to 4-1. McDyre was happy to come through for his team and help provide offense late in the game.

“It felt pretty good to get that hit, especially after Jaylen’s (Guy) play with all that momentum on our side,” McDyre said. “Brandon (Rohrer) had a tough out and Cam (Locklear) worked a walk. Just to keep the line going and just be able to come through for the team is good.”

Accurate pitching by Trevor Delaite, Landon Riley and Mason Myers gave Liberty its 19th win of the season. The three combined for seven strikeouts, one run allowed and no walks.

Despite the fast turnaround, Liberty exploited Lipscomb’s lackadaisical pitching the next day in a 18-1 victory. The Flames had 21 hits on the day, including three home runs by Logan Mathieu (2) and Cam Locklear (1), and Liberty followed up that win with a 5-4 victory Sunday to wrap up the series sweep. 

Liberty’s next game will be a home game against Virginia Tech April 13, starting at 6 p.m.

Kevin Gora is a Sports Reporter. Follow him on Twitter at @kevgora.