Flames softball resurges to an undefeated four-game homestand

Prolonged weather delays, extra innings and frigid temperatures could not extinguish the Flames softball team as it fought for four consecutive wins on the Mountain over the weekend.

Rebounding from a rather unsuccessful 10-game road trip, with a record of 1-9, the Flames secured four wins against Northern Illinois, Princeton, Marshall and Elon from Feb. 24-26 at Kamphius Field. 

Instead of playing in the late afternoon Saturday, the Flames were forced to push their matchup against Marshall to the following day due to inclement weather and play Princeton late into the night — a game that ended on the brink of midnight. Still, the adversity never put out the Flames.

“The confidence is building,” Head Coach Dot Richardson said. “Winning four games in a weekend is awesome.”

Success came early for Liberty in its first home game of the 2023 season. Going up against the Northern Illinois Huskies, the Flames got business done. The scoring started in the first inning with sophomore KK Madrey’s single sending Devyn Howard home. Madrey then stole second to later be brought home from a sacrifice fly by junior Caroline Hudson. The fifth and final inning, due to the NCAA mercy-rule, saw Liberty ring in six more scores and end the night with a two-run bomb by sophomore Rachel Roupe. 

Stellar offense coupled with a dominant pitching performance by Karlie Keeney led the Flames to an 8-0 thrashing of the Huskies.

A rain delay the following day postponed Liberty’s contest against Princeton to 9:30 p.m. No delay, however, could halt the Flames’ momentum. 

The Princeton Tigers went up early on Liberty, scoring three runs in the top of the third and forcing Liberty to make the change on the mound to sophomore Paige Bachman. 

 Bats began to fly for the Flames in the fifth inning, tying the game at three. The drama intensified when Princeton freshman Julia Dumais batted in the go-ahead score in the top of the eighth. Liberty, however, responded with two runs to seal another victory. With the bases loaded and the game on the line, junior Savannah Woodard’s RBI single to centerfield sent the Flames home celebrating just before midnight. 

The drama continued into Sunday when the Flames faced the 11-3 Marshall Thundering Herd. Again, Liberty found itself trailing three runs entering the bottom of the sixth inning. With two outs, sophomore catcher Alexis Soto’s RBI double deep into right center field tied the game at four. In extra innings, Roupe played the hero this time around. Her RBI double with two outs sent Woodard home and gave Liberty its third win in just as many games. 

“We were going after pitches that weren’t strikes because we wanted it so badly. You got to let the game come to you; you got to slow down the game,” Richardson said. “I’m so proud of Rachel Roupe, she was 3-for-3 … she’s not pressing, and she’s getting those hits.”

To conclude the eventful weekend, the Flames played Elon with the opportunity to make it four wins out of four. The contest couldn’t have had a better start for the Flames, as senior Devyn Howard and junior Caroline Hudson slammed back-to-back lead-off home runs. 

After two walks and another run scored, Elon had a first inning to forget with Liberty up 3-0. The Flames, however, had no intention of being forgotten. 

After junior outfielder Janessa Plummer stole second base, Hudson sent her home with an RBI single putting Liberty up 4-0. Elon fought back with three runs scored in the fifth, but the Flames cruised to a 6-4 victory as sophomore KC Machado caught the game-sealing fly ball. 

“(I’m) so proud of the team, proud of them sticking together,” Richardson said. “You’re going to see what we’re capable of doing when we’re doing it together.”

After the successful weekend, Liberty softball has found its groove. Sitting at 5-9, the Flames still have a long season ahead of them, but Richardson emphasized that “it’s not how strong you start, it’s how strong you finish.” 

Liberty will return to Kamphius Field March 3 for a mid-week matchup with the UConn Huskies at 1 p.m. 

Rivas is a sports reporter for the Liberty Champion. Follow him on Twitter