Duke Fends Off Liberty 5-4

The Duke Blue Devils held off the Liberty Flames 5-4, Tuesday afternoon at Durham Bulls Athletic Park.

The Blue Devils jumped out to a 4-0 lead after two innings, only to see the Flames battle back to close to within one run twice in the contest. Liberty also moved the tying run second base in the ninth inning; but could not bring the equalizer around to score.

Liberty first baseman Aaron Anderson was the only player in the contest with three hits, including a solo home run in the seventh inning. Left fielder Brandon Rohrer also hit a solo home run for the Flames.

Liberty falls to 16-7 overall. Duke improves to 11-10.

Box Score Highlights
Records: Liberty (16-7); Duke (11-10)
Location: Durham, N.C. (Durham Bulls Athletic Park)
WP: Josh Allen (2-1) | LP: Mason Hand (1-1) | SV: Jimmy Loper (4)

Scoring Summary
DUKE – 1^st INNING – Loperfido homers, 1-0
DUKE - 1^st INNING – Crabtree homers, Nichols scores, 3-0
DUKE – 2^nd INNING – Loperfido steals second, Hoyle scores on a throwing error, 4-0
LIBERTY – 3^rd INNING – Betts triples, Guy scores, 4-1
LIBERTY – 3^rd INNING – McDyre flies out, Betts scores, 4-2
LIBERTY – 7^th INNING – Anderson homers, 4-3
DUKE – 7^th INNING – Crabtree flies out, Matt scores, 5-3
LIBERTY – 8^th INNING – Rohrer homers, 5-4

Notable Numbers

• Liberty outhit Duke, 10-6. Liberty committed the lone error in the contest.
• The Flames left nine men on base. The Blue Devils left eight.
• Liberty catcher Gray Betts had two hits, including his first triple of the year in the contest. He drove in a run and scored a run.
• Flames center fielder Jaylen Guy collected two hits and scored a run.
• Liberty reliever Dylan Cumming pitched 3 2/3 scoreless innings of relief. He gave up two hits, striking out two and walking two batters.
• Duke left fielder Joey Loperfido had two hits, including a home run. First baseman Chris Crabtree also hit a three-run home run for the Blue Devils.

Turning Point
      After Rohrer trimmed Liberty's deficit to one run for the second time in the contest in the eighth inning, the Flames moved the tying run to second base in the ninth. With one out, Betts singled. Two batters later, representing the tying run, he moved to second on a two-out single by Anderson. However, Duke closer Jimmy Loper was able to get Liberty RBI leader Will Wagner to ground out to second to close out the contest.

Beyond the Box Score

• Liberty finishes the month of March with a 14-2 record.
• The Flames drop a midweek game for the first time this season. Liberty is now 5-1 in midweek contests in 2021.
• For the first time this season, Liberty loses a game that it outhit its opponent. The Flames are 11-1 when outhitting their opponents.
• With two hits, Betts extends the longest hitting streak by a Liberty player this season to nine games.
• With a single in the third inning, Wagner has reached base safely in 13 consecutive games. It is the longest reached base safely streak by a Flame this year.
• Anderson records his team-leading 11^th multi-hit game and his third three-hit game of the season. His home run was his second of the season.
• Rohrer hit his second home run of the season.

Next Up
      Liberty finishes up its seven-game road swing with a three-game ASUN series against Kennesaw State Owls, this weekend. The series begins Thursday. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. at Stillwell Baseball Stadium.