Liberty Drops Wake Forest 8-4

The Liberty Flames raced out to a 5-1 lead and never looked back, downing the Wake Forest Demon Deacons 8-4, Wednesday afternoon at Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium.

After Wake Forest plated a run to open the contest, Liberty struck for two runs in the home half of the first inning and three in the second to take a 5-1 advantage. Flames pitchers then held the Demon Deacons in check the rest of the way in the victory.

Second baseman Will Wagner had two hits, including an RBI triple, drove in two runs and scored a run for the Flames.

Liberty moves to 18-8 on the year. Wake Forest falls to 10-12.

Box Score Highlights
Records: Wake Forest (10-12); Liberty (18-8)
Location: Lynchburg, Va. (Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium)
WP: Mason Meyer (3-1) | LP: Cole McNamee (3-1)

Scoring Summary
WF – 1^st INNING – Seymour doubles, Costello scores, 1-0
LIBERTY – 1^st INNING – McDyre singles, Wagner and Betts score, 2-1
LIBERTY – 2^nd INNING – Betts triples, Guy scores, 3-1
LIBERTY – 2^nd INNING – Anderson doubles, Betts scores, 4-1
LIBERTY – 2^nd INNING – Wagner triples, Anderson scores, 5-1
WF – 3^rd INNING – Lanzilli singles, Wilken scores, 5-2
LIBERTY – 4^th INNING – Wagner flies out, Guy scores, 6-2
LIBERTY – 6^th INNING – Locklear doubles, Betts and Wagner score, 8-2
WF – 8^th INNING – Cecere doubles, Muntz and Lanzilli score, 8-4

Notable Numbers

• Liberty had eight hits in the game, while Wake Forest collected 10. Each team committed one error.
• Each team had five extra base hits in the contest. Liberty had three doubles and two triples. Wake Forest had five doubles.
• Liberty left seven men on base. Wake Forest left 11.
• Along with Wagner, Liberty third baseman Trey McDyre and shortstop Cam Locklear had two RBI in the game.
• Mason Meyer picks up the win in relief for the Flames. The left-hander allowed one unearned run on two hits over 2 2/3 innings. He struck out one and did not walk a batter.
• Liberty relievers David Erickson, Cade Hungate and Landon Riley each pitched a scoreless inning.
• Wake Forest batters had two hits apiece.
   

Turning Point
Leading 6-2 in the sixth, Liberty broke the contest open with two outs. With the bases loaded, shortstop Cam Locklear dropped an opposite field double inside the right field line, plating two more runs and stretching the Liberty lead to 8-2.

Beyond the Box Score

• Liberty remains unbeaten at home this season, pushing its record to 10-0. The Flames have won 12 straight contests at Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium, dating back to last season. It is the fifth longest home winning streak in the nation.
• Wagner recorded his seventh multi-hit game of the year and his sixth contest with two or more RBI. With a single in the first inning, the second baseman has now reached base safely in 16 consecutive games, the longest reached base safely streak by a Flame this year.
• With a triple in the second, catcher Gray Betts extended his hitting streak to 12 games. The streak is the longest hitting streak by a Liberty player in 2021.
• Locklear has at least one double in each of the last five contests.
• Right-hander Landon Riley has not allowed a run in 10 appearances this season. He has struck out 12 in 11 1/3 innings of work in 2021.
• David Erickson made his team-leading 13 appearance. The right-hander is tied for the ASUN lead in appearances with four other pitchers.

Next Up
Liberty will welcome the Lipscomb Bisons to Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium for a three-game ASUN series, this weekend. The series is scheduled to get underway at 6 p.m. on Friday.