The Lady Flames Softball team opened its Liberty Softball Invitational at Kamphuis Field Feb. 27-28.
Liberty began by splitting a doubleheader against Radford University. After falling 3-0 in the first game, the Lady Flames responded with a close 5-4 win highlighted by late-game heroics from senior infielder Brynn McManus.
Trailing 4-1 in the bottom of the seventh, Liberty mounted a comeback. Senior infielder Brooke Roberts led off with a single followed by freshman infielder Avery Noel with a double down to left center.
Redshirt junior catcher Savannah Jessee drove both runners home with a double, cutting the deficit to 4-3.
With the game on the line, McManus crushed a walk-off two-run home run to left center, sealing a 5-4 victory.
The following day, Liberty fell 8-0 to Marshall University before closing the invitational with a 7-1 loss to the University of Connecticut.
UConn loaded the bases in the first inning. With two outs on the board, junior pitcher Kaylan Yoder got the Lady Flames out of trouble as she struck out freshman infielder Ava Calciano to end the top of the first tied with UConn.
“I think how Yoder performed in the first few innings was a big win,” Head Coach Dot Richardson said.
Liberty was the first to put a run on the board during the game. In the bottom of the third, sophomore utility Ella Fox reached base and a sacrifice fly from sophomore utility Alexia Carrasquillo brought her home to give the Lady Flames a 1-0 lead.
“I wanted to be aggressive for my team and drive in a run, and I was saying whatever pitch she throws, I’m going to attack it,” Carrasquillo said.
UConn responded with two runs in the fourth and three runs in the fifth, capitalizing on hits, walks and a Liberty error to extend its lead to 5-1.
The Lady Huskies added two more runs in the top of the sixth and held Liberty scoreless for the rest of the game. Despite a late double from Fox, Liberty was unable to rally a comeback as UConn secured a 7-1 win.
“I think Fox really came through with the way she was hitting the ball today,” Richardson said.
Richardson focused on maintaining a positive mindset, highlighting the small improvements her team made throughout the match.
“You have to keep that positive attitude,” Richardson said. “You have to start looking at the little wins, and keep that positive attitude … ”
Carrasquillo credited UConn for its strong defensive performance.
“UConn had really good defense, were scrappy on the field, and they knew to adjust after making a mistake, and moving on from it,” Carrasquillo said.
The Lady Flames return to Kamphuis Field March 3, where they will host the University of Michigan at 5 p.m. It will be streamed live on ESPN+.
Shepard is a sports reporter for the Liberty Champion.