FGCU Edges Liberty 1-0 in Series Opener

FGCU’s Ally Hulme tossed a five-hit shutout and the Eagles scored once in the seventh, edging Liberty 1-0 in Saturday’s series opener at Kamphuis Field at Liberty Softball Stadium.

FGCU improves to 21-13, 3-1 in ASUN play with the win, while the Lady Flames fall to 17-11, 3-1 in conference games. Liberty entered the weekend in a four-way tie for first place in the ASUN with Central Arkansas, Jacksonville State and Lipscomb.

Scoring Summary

FGCU – 7th INNING – Peterson doubles to right center, Ricks scores, 1-0

Notable Numbers

- Liberty outhit FGCU 5-3 for the game, with the Eagles committing two errors and the Lady Flames sustaining one error. The guests turned two double plays. The Lady Flames left eight runners on base, while FGCU stranded just two.

- Hulme (8-5) tossed her second shutout of the season, allowing five hits while walking four and striking out five.

- Karlie Keeney (11-6) drew the tough-luck loss, yielding one run on three hits while fanning six. Coming in, she had posted wins in 11 straight decisions since her last loss, Feb. 18 against No. 11 Tennessee.

- Three Eagles went 1-for-3 each, with Tayli Filla and Neely Peterson hitting doubles and Meagan Ricks singling and scoring the game’s lone run. Peterson posted the game’s only RBI.

- Rachel Craine batted 2-for-3 for the Lady Flames.

Turning Point

- Both teams posted tremendous defensive plays throughout the game, keeping the game scoreless until the seventh.

- FGCU managed just one hit through the first six innings off of Keeney before Ricks’ leadoff single in the seventh. She stole second and then scored on an RBI double by Peterson.

- Hulme pitched around a one-out single to Madrey, sealing the shutout with back-to-back flyouts by Devyn Howard and Caroline Hudson to end the game.

Beyond the Box Score

- Liberty leads the all-time series against FGCU 6-3, while the Eagles snapped the Lady Flames’ six-game winning streak in the series. Prior to today, Liberty had swept FGCU in both series (2019, 2022) since joining the ASUN Conference in 2019.

- Liberty is 2-5 in one-run games this season.

- The Lady Flames are now 5-9 this season when the opponent scores first.

- Hudson now holds fifth place in program history in runners caught stealing (43), passing Keely McMillon (2008-11) today.

- Today was the first time that the Lady Flames have been shut out at home by an ASUN opponent since joining the conference.

- Today was Liberty’s first home loss of the season, as the Lady Flames brought a 12-0 record at Liberty Softball Stadium into this week.

Featured in photo: Savannah Woodard

[gallery display="slider" wpmf_folder_id="2424" link="file" size="full" targetsize="full" ids="455625,455626,455629,455631,455634,455637,455638,455640,455641,455642,455643,455645,455647,455648,455651,455654,455655,455656,455657,455658,455660,455663,455665,455667,455670,455672,455674,455677,455676"]