Lady Flames notch series sweep on home turf over Kennesaw State Owls

In a crucial weekend series against the ASUN rival Kennesaw State Owls, the Liberty Flames softball team protected its home turf by securing the three-game sweep. After three hard fought games, the Flames closed the weekend with victories of 5-4, 6-0 and 3-1. 

Entering the matchup with the Owls, Liberty was in desperate need of a resurgence, falling short in three of its last four games. Florida Gulf Coast won two of three in a series against the Flames, and Virginia Tech successfully defended its home field on March 28. This recent rough patch from Liberty made this series extremely important.

In game one, the Flames arrived to the diamond ready to right their wrongs. Early in the first inning, sophomore and outfielder Rachel Roupe homered to left center field, and junior second baseman Savanah Woodard scored off a bunt from sophomore outfielder KK Madrey.

However, the 2-0 lead did not last long. A solo home run in the fourth and three scores in the fifth gave Kennesaw State a 4-2 advantage heading into the final two innings.

With the game now on the line, junior catcher Caroline Hudson gave the Flames the lead they were searching for, blasting a crucial three-run home run. The clutch homer from the team’s catcher helped Liberty secure a 5-4 game one victory over Kennesaw State.

Game two was all Liberty. The Flames scored in each of the first four innings and quickly constructed an imposing 5-0 lead. Liberty would score once more in the sixth and come away with a 6-0 victory.

After back-to-back wins, the Flames were determined to complete the sweep over the Owls.

Liberty led things off Sunday with an impressive start. A base hit from junior first baseman Megan Fortner batted in Roupe and gave Liberty a 1-0 lead.

Despite this early advantage, it remained a defensive battle, with runs hard to come by for both teams. Then in the sixth inning, two controversial calls helped Kennesaw State tie the game at one.

Again, with the game on the line, the Flames wasted no time answering. A strong offensive showing in the sixth inning gave Liberty two runs and a lead heading into the final inning. The Flames would then close out the Owls in the seventh, winning 3-1.

These three wins improved Liberty’s record to 21-13 and a conference record of 7-3.

“They were really important, you know, with us coming from FGCU and having those Ls, sadly,” senior infielder Devyn Howard said. “But getting that off of our chests and being able to beat Kennesaw State all those games, like it really gives us a leg up (in the) conference, so we can like relax a little more.”

Sophomore Paige Bachman was spectacular in the series. The Flames pitcher set a new career-high 12 strikeouts on Saturday and followed it up with a no-hitter through five innings on Sunday. 

“Paige Bachman did a sensational job this weekend against Kennesaw State,” Head Coach Dot Richardson said. “They’ve got a lot of speed, they’ve got power in the 3-4, and then when you saw her just contain them with that drop and what she was doing … really a sensational job for her.”

The Flames hope to continue their newfound winning streak on the road as they will face Elon on Tuesday, April 4 and North Florida on April 7-8.

Garrett is a sports reporter for the Liberty Champion. Follow him on Twitter