The Liberty University Baseball team fell to 5-7 in Conference USA (CUSA) play as Western Kentucky University swept the weekend series April 11-13, winning all three games 6-2, 4-2 and 4-3.
Game one took place Friday night under the lights with a dry first inning for both teams, seeing an impressive defense on both sides. The Hilltoppers broke free in the top of the second and scored three runs, two off of RBI singles and one off a throwing error.
In the bottom of the inning, freshman pitcher Landon Scilley hit an RBI single, giving his fellow Flame senior right fielder Camden Troyer a chance to slide home, bringing the score to 3-1.
Each team prevented one another from scoring until the seventh inning when Western Kentucky notched two more runs off of an RBI single and a stolen base. Liberty followed that up with its final run of the game, courtesy of junior first baseman Jaxon Sorenson, who hit an RBI single, sending freshman second baseman Callum Early home.
Western Kentucky scored one final run in the eighth inning and prevented Liberty from scoring to secure its first win of the series 6-2.
The first inning of game two was scoreless, but the second inning saw Western Kentucky score off a balk. Following that, the Hilltoppers locked down on the Flames’ offensive pushes in the bottom of the second and third innings.
In the top of the fourth, Western Kentucky scored another RBI single, upping the score 2-0. Despite this, the Flames did not give up as Scilley stepped up to the plate. With junior left fielder Nick Barone and Troyer on base, Scilley launched the ball out of reach of any Hilltoppers, garnering a two-RBI single and tying the score 2-2.
Each team was held scoreless for the next three innings. It was not until the top of the eighth when Western Kentucky broke the hold Liberty had on them. A sacrifice bunt from junior catcher Camden Ross allowed his teammate on third, junior outfielder Ryan Wideman, to sneak home.
The Flames mounted a comeback, but their offensive efforts were thwarted by the Hilltoppers’ defense in the bottom of the eighth and ninth innings. Another run by Western Kentucky in the top of the ninth capped the score at 4-2, knocking Liberty down to 5-6 in CUSA rankings.
“Against a good pitching staff, that limited the free passes, we just couldn’t do anything offensively,” Head Coach Bradley LeCroy said.
To begin game three, the Flames kept the Hilltoppers from scoring in the top of the first when junior catcher Seth Christmas fired the ball towards Scilley at third, tagging the sliding Hilltopper before he could touch the base.
Western Kentucky also held Liberty scoreless in the bottom of the first. Following that inning, they slipped through Liberty’s defense to score four runs. The left field line was Liberty’s weakness as the Hilltoppers hit two doubles there, maximizing the real estate between fair and foul.
A couple of singles, eager runners and a few errors on Liberty’s side allowed the Hilltoppers to inflate the score 4-0 before the top of the second ended.
After a scoreless third inning, the Flames showed strong defense during the top of the fourth. Sophomore shortstop Tanner Marsh raced across the field to intercept what would have been a base hit to throw the ball to Sorenson at first.
The second out was stopped by Scilley with a slide and catch. He threw the ball to Sorenson before the Western Kentucky runner could make it to first. A pop fly caught by Liberty’s outfield ended the offensive push in the top of the fourth.
It was not until the bottom of the eighth that Sorenson restored hope for the Flames. He launched the ball all the way to right field where it bounced off the outfielder’s glove and over the fence for a three-run homer.
The score was 4-3 going into the final inning. The Flames’ defense was strong as they got the first two outs of the inning quickly. Sophomore pitcher Tyler August struck out the last Hilltopper, but it was not enough to secure the win.
In the last inning, Western Kentucky kept Liberty from reaching any bases and swept the series, winning 4-3.
“They did well all weekend. Guys are disappointed,” Lecroy said. “We know that we didn’t play our standard of baseball. We just got to continue to get better, and that includes me as the head coach and leader of this program. Eventually it falls on me. We’ll get better.”
The Flames travel to play their next weekend series against Louisiana Tech University April 17-19.
Warden is a sports reporter for the Liberty Champion.