LYNCHBURG, Va. – The Sacred Heart University softball team saw its sixth-inning rally come up just short in an 8-3 road loss to Liberty in the opening game of the Flames Classic on Thursday evening.
Team Records
Sacred Heart (5-6)
Liberty (11-9)
LIB 8, SHU 3
Pitchers:
Sam Kowalski (SHU) - (L, 5.0 innings pitched, 7 earned runs, 5 strikeouts, 3-3 record)
Carly Koltko (SHU) - (1.0 innings pitched, 1 earned run, 1 strikeout)
Paige Bachman (LIB) - (W, 6.0 innings pitched, 1 earned runs, 5 strikeouts, 3-3)
Karlie Keeney (LIB) - (1.0 innings pitched, 0 earned runs, 1 strikeouts)
Top Performers:
Jenna Mowad (SHU) – 1-3, 1 run, 1 walk
Grace Saad (SHU) – 1-3, 1 RBI
Emily Carroll (SHU) – 1-3, 1 RBI
Of Note:
After a scoreless one-and-a-half innings to start today's game, the Flames got on the scoreboard first with a strong bottom of the second to take a 4-0 lead. Liberty plated four in the frame on two RBI singles and a sacrifice fly.
SHU's
Sam Kowalski settled in after the second and allowed just one run over the next two innings. The first year finished the game with five strikeouts, her fourth game with 5+ Ks.
The Pioneers' bats started to come alive in the top of the sixth frame, as SHU tallied a trio of hits to cut into the Liberty lead.
Jenna Mowad started the rally with the team's first hit of the day, a single to left. A
Victoria LoPinto sac bunt put Mowad in scoring position, allowing her to score on a
Grace Saad single in the next at-bat.
Following an out and an error by the Flames,
Emily Carroll stepped to the plate with two on and two outs. Carroll turned on the fifth pitch of her at-bat and sent a missile to left that skipped off the turf past the left fielder for an RBI single, cutting SHU's deficit to two runs, 5-3.
Unfortunately for the Pios, their comeback was halted in the home half of the sixth when the Flames added three more runs to their advantage. A clean top of the seventh secured Liberty its 10th consecutive victory, 8-3.
Up Next
Sacred Heart continues the Flames Classic tomorrow with a doubleheader against Ball State. The first of the two games is slated to start at 2:30 p.m.
