Flames Top No. 9 Gators 6-4

Cameron Foster drove in three runs and three Liberty relievers shut out No. 9 Florida over the final four innings, as the Flames down the Gators 6-4, Saturday afternoon at Florida Ballpark.

Freshman second baseman Foster gave Liberty the lead in the fifth with an RBI double. He also was hit by a pitch with the base loaded and lifted a sacrifice fly in the contest.

Meanwhile, the trio of Mason Fluharty, Trey Carter and Cade Hungate shut down Florida over the final four innings to close out the Liberty win.

The Flames even their record at 1-1. The Gators fall to 1-1.

Box Score Highlights

Records: Liberty (1-1); Florida (1-1)

Location: Gainesville, Fla. (Florida Ballpark)

WP: David Erickson (1-0) | LP: Brandon Sprout (0-1) I SV: Cade Hungate (1)

Scoring Summary

1^st INNING – LIBERTY – Foster hit by a pitch, Betts scores, 1-0

1^st INNING – LIBERTY – Mathieu singles, Anderson scores, 2-0

3^rd INNING – LIBERTY – Foster flies out, Hill scores, 3-0

3^rd INNING – LIBERTY – Orndorff singles, Gulakowski scores, 4-0

3^rd INNING – UF – Halter doubles, Riopelle scores, 4-1

4^th INNING – UF – D. Fabian walks, Armstrong scores, 4-2

4^th INNING – UF – J. Fabian doubles, D. Fabian and Riopelle score, 4-4

5^th INNING – LIBERTY – Foster doubles, Hill scores, 5-4

8^th INNING – LIBERTY – Hill flies out, Betts scores, 6-4

Notable Numbers

- Liberty and Florida each had six hits in the contest. Neither team committed an error.

- The Flames left 11 men on base, while the Gators left eight men on base.

- No Liberty or Florida player had more than one hit in the contest.

- Flames third baseman Stephen Hill walked four times and scored two runs. Catcher Gray Betts reached base twice and scored times.

- Liberty used five pitchers in the contest with the second pitcher of the contest, David Erickson, picking up the victory with 1 2/3 innings of relief.

- Fluharty, Carter and Hungate held the Gators hitless over the final 4 1/3 innings. Fluharty struck out three over 1 2/3 innings, while Hungate earned the save with a scoreless ninth.

- Florida reliever Brandon Sproat took the loss. The second of five pitchers for the Gators, he gave up one run on one hit over two innings of relief. He struck out three and walked two.

- The teams combined to hit seven batters in the contest. Florida hit five batters, while Liberty hit two.

Turning Point

After host Florida scored three runs in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game at 4-4, Liberty came right back in the top of the fifth with a run to take a lead it never relinquished. Hill led off the inning with a walk. After the Flames’ first out of the inning, Foster ripped a double down the right-field line, scoring Hill all the way from first for a 5-4 lead.

Beyond the Box Score

- Liberty defeated a nationally ranked top 10 team for the first time since March 19. 2018, when the Flames defeated No. 8 North Carolina 2-0 at Liberty Baseball Stadium.

- Hungate’s save was the junior’s first at Liberty.

- Foster, one of three Flames with a hit in each of the first two games of the season, becomes the first Flame with more than one RBI in a contest, this season.

Up Next

The Flames and Gators will face each other in their season-opening series, tomorrow at Florida Ballpark. Game time is scheduled for Noon.