LYNCHBURG, Va. — Junior left fielder
Matt Higgins and senior third baseman
Josh Finerty both smacked three-run homers, but Liberty managed to edge the Bellarmine University baseball team 8-7 on Saturday in ASUN action at Liberty Baseball Stadium.
The contest had the makings of a slugfest between the Knights (12-26, 7-13 ASUN) and the Flames (29-11, 13-1), who combined to score 13 runs over the first three innings. However, due to fine work from the bullpens, only two combined runs were scored after the third.
In the first, after a leadoff single by Finerty and a walk by senior designated hitter
Chris Gambert, Higgins tattooed his seventh homer of the season, a three-run shot to right. In the second, after a single by senior second baseman
Justin Rouse and a walk by junior center fielder
Jack Ockerman, Finerty went deep for the fifth time this season, a three-run round-tripper to left.
Due to exceptional two-out hitting, Liberty kept pace with Bellarmine in the early innings. The Flames scored all five of their runs in the first inning with two outs. Liberty then scored one run apiece in the second and third, with two outs in each instance. The latter provided the Flames a 7-6 lead.
Pitching took over after that. Bellarmine would score just one more run. Higgins led off the fifth with a single, stole second and eventually scored on a fielder's choice by junior right fielder
Jacob Mulcahy to tie it at 7-all.
Liberty's only additional run — and what became the winning run — was plated in the seventh when Brady Gulakowski launched a solo homer. The Flames, led by reliever David Erickson (8-1), set the Knights down in order from the sixth through the ninth innings.
As he has so often this season, senior
Anthony Ethington steadied Bellarmine on the mound. The right-hander allowed two runs on four hits with seven strikeouts in 6.0 innings of relief work.
Finerty, Higgins and freshman first baseman
Davis Crane had two hits each and combined for six of the Knights' seven hits.
Bellarmine and Liberty will conclude the three-game series at 1 p.m. (ET) Sunday.
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