FARMVILLE, Va. — Liberty hit three home runs — including two by right fielder Rachel Roupe — on its way to a 9-3 non-conference victory over the Longwood softball team at Lancer Field on Tuesday.
Roupe smacked two-run home runs in each of her first two at-bats — one to center field and another to right center — and Savannah Jessee added a two-run shot of her own in the fifth. Longwood shortstop
Lauren Taylor and catcher
Maggie Hiatt belted their fifth and fourth homers of the season, respectively, in the loss.
Liberty, which improved to 29-18 on the season with the win, its sixth straight against Longwood (16-29), broke the game open with a three-run fourth inning. The Flames loaded the bases with one out, and with
Cierra Gawryluk on in relief of
Er'ron Burton (1-10), Rachel Craine hit a bouncer to Taylor at shortstop.
Taylor fielded and elected to throw to the plate to cut down Raigan Barrett, charging down the line at third. The throw skipped by Hiatt behind the plate, allowing two to score on the play. Mary Claire Wilson lifted a sacrifice fly to right field later in the inning as the Liberty lead grew to 7-0.
Taylor took the first pitch she saw in the bottom of the fourth inning from Tyler Oubre over the wall in the left center to get the Lancers on the scoreboard. Following Jessee's homer in the top of the fifth, Hiatt launched one to left for the final margin in the bottom of the frame.
Oubre (2-2) earned the win in the circle for Liberty with six innings of six-hit ball with two strikeouts and one walk. Katie Love pitched the seventh, fanning two and allowing a walk.
Burton lasted 3 1/3 innings, allowing four hits and four earned runs before handing the ball to reigning Big South Conference Freshman of the Week Gawryluk. The lefty went the rest of the way. She surrendered four hits, two earned runs and two walks with a strikeout.
Roupe and Jesse paced Liberty, hitting 2-for-4 each with a combined six RBIs. Taylor and Hiatt each hit 2-for-3 with their homers.
Longwood hits the road Wednesday to do battle with No. 5 Duke Wednesday at 4 p.m., in Durham, N.C. The game will be stream on ACC Network Extra and will be broadcast on WVHL.
