The Liberty Flames Baseball team overcame an early deficit to defeat Duke University, 13-10, April 21, fueled by a seven-run eighth inning and a strong offensive performance led by junior infielder Riley DeCandido.
Liberty entered the matchup looking to replicate its previous success against Duke, having defeated the Blue Devils 17-7 April 14 in Durham, North Carolina. During the contest, senior outfielder Nick Barone powered the Flames with three home runs and six RBIs while junior outfielder Josh Campos and senior catcher Kyle Hvidsten contributed multi-run efforts.
Duke struck first in the second inning, capitalizing on a Liberty fielding error and a two-run home run to take a 2-0 lead. The Blue Devils added another unearned run later in the inning to extend the advantage to 3-0.
Liberty responded in the bottom of the second. After walks by senior infielder Jaxon Sorenson and graduate student outfielder Anderson Fulk, redshirt junior outfielder Tucker Moore delivered a two-out, two-RBI double to cut the deficit to 3-2.
Duke’s offense surged again in the third inning, landing five runs on a combination of timely hitting and defensive miscues to stretch the lead to 8-2.
The Flames began to chip away in the bottom of the third inning. Junior infielder Tanner Marsh reached on an error, and DeCandido followed with an RBI double. Senior infielder Jordan Jaffe added an RBI single to bring Liberty closer at 8-4.
After several scoreless innings from both sides, Liberty continued its push in the seventh. Campos drew a walk and later scored on a throwing error following a double by Marsh. DeCandido added an RBI single, closing the gap to 8-6.
Head Coach Bradley LeCroy emphasized the team’s resilience following the game.
“Good teams find a way to win even when they play ugly,” LeCroy said.
Duke added another run at the top of the eighth increasing the score to 9-6 and setting the stage for Liberty’s decisive rally.
In the bottom of the eighth, Barone ignited the comeback with a solo home run to trim the lead to 9-7. The Flames continued to apply pressure as senior infielder Easton Swofford singled and Fulk reached on catcher’s interference. Hvidsten drew a walk to load the bases.
Campos was then hit by pitch, bringing in a run to make it 9-8. Marsh followed with a sacrifice fly to tie the game at 9-9.
DeCandido delivered in a key moment, driving a double down the left field line to give Liberty its first lead of the night at 10-9.
“I got lucky, I hit it to a spot they weren’t,” DeCandido said.
Jaffe added an RBI groundout to extend the lead to 11-9, and Sorenson followed with an RBI single. Barone capped the inning with an RBI single of his own, pushing the Flames’ lead to 13-9 after scoring seven runs in the inning.
DeCandido finished the night with three hits and two RBIs, continuing his strong performance at the plate.
“He’s done a great job,” LeCroy said. “He had five quality at-bats tonight, three hits, hit two other balls hard, the ball that went through the first baseman’s legs and then also the line drive to center field.”
Duke attempted a late rally in the ninth inning, scoring one run to narrow the gap 13-10, but Liberty closed the game with a flyout to secure the win.
“No matter the score, we’re out there, we’re laughing, we’re having fun,” DeCandido said. “Cause there’s never a single doubt in any of our minds that we’re going to come back and win the game.”
Liberty stays home at Worthington Field to play the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, April 28 at 6 p.m. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
Clardy is the off-campus news editor for the Liberty Champion.