FARMVILLE, Va. – A seven-run top of the eighth inning for Liberty clinched the game one win for Liberty, 20-7, Friday night at Buddy Bolding Stadium.
The Flames (24-15, 10-6 Big South) sent 12 men to the plate, scoring all seven runs with two outs. The Lancers (13-27, 5-11 Big South) swung the bat well, picking up 12 hits, but were unable to climb back into the game after the big eighth for Liberty.
Cody Gamble (2-2) picked up the win with one hit allowed and two outs recorded.
Michael Catlin (2-4) suffered the loss with five allowed in 1.1 innings of work.
Alex Lewis broke out for a three-hit game, his third of the season. A first team VaSID selection as a junior, Lewis went 3-for-4 with two doubles.
Brandon Harvell and
Ryan Shull each went 2-for-4 in the loss, each scoring a run and picking up an RBI.
Five Liberty hitters picked up multiple hits in the game. Reigning Big South Player of the Week D.J. Artis went 3-for-4 with four RBI, Trey McDyre was 4-for-7 with an RBI, Sammy Taormina went 3-for-4 with two home runs and seven RBI, Eric Grabowski was 2-for-4 with three RBI, and Cam Locklear was 2-for-5 with a pair of runs scored.
Liberty broke through first with a two-run first inning. Artis led off the game with a walk on a 3-2 pitch. After Longwood starter
Cody Wager struck out a pair of batters Taormina homered to right, putting Liberty's lead at 2-0.
Once staked to a lead, Price attacked hitters with six strikeouts in a row, striking out the side in the third and fourth before
Michael Osinski singled to start the fourth inning for the Lancers, setting up a big Lancer rally.
After Osinski singled to start the fourth and reached third on
Justin Mitchell's single up the middle the Lancers had their first rally of the day with runners on the corners and no outs. Two batters later
Nate Blakeney singled to shortstop, plating Osinski.
Mac McCafferty then took a pitch the other way, dropping a single for an RBI on the left field line, tying the game at two.
Harvell continued the inning with a single off the bat into center field, loading the bases with one out. Shull singled into center to give Longwood the lead, 3-2. Two batters later,
Antwaun Tucker, the ninth hitter in the inning, walked to force in a run. Osinski reached a second time in the inning on an error, making it a fifth Lancer run in the frame, and a passed ball allowed Longwood to make it a six-run inning, Lancers leading 6-2.
Liberty threatened in the fifth inning, putting runners on first and second after a lead-off walk and a single, chasing Wager, who took no decision after allowing two runs in 4.0 innings of work with six strikeouts.
Devin Gould quickly ended the threat, getting Grabowski to line out to Osinski for a double play at second base and then struck out Will Shepherd to end the inning.
The Flames scored a pair of runs in the sixth inning to cut Longwood's lead in half. After a one-out single by Locklear and Artis walked, a double steal and throwing error allowed a run to score. Two batters later a second error in the inning allowed a second run to score.
Liberty batted around in the seventh inning to take the lead. After Grabowski walked to start the inning, with one out a walk and back-to-back hit batters made it a 6-5 game. McDyre singled through the left side to tie the game. Two batters later Taormina walked to give Liberty the lead, 7-6. Liberty scored three runs on one hit in the frame.
The Lancers answered after the seventh-inning stretch.
Alex Lewis started the frame with a double, his second of the game, followed by a walk by Blakeney. Harvell singled to tie the game, 7-7, in the seventh inning.
Liberty took the lead right back in the eighth. After Payton Scarbrough reached on a two-out walk, Cam Locklear worked the count full and singled, advancing to second base on a throw to third. Artis singled back up the middle, plating a pair of runs. Later in the inning a pair of bases-loaded walks made it 11-7 Liberty. The Flames rallied for three more runs on a three-run double by Grabowski.
Longwood and Liberty meet for game two Saturday afternoon. The game can be viewed online through the Big South Network or locally on Shentel Channel 81. First pitch is set for 4 p.m. at Buddy Bolding Stadium.
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