Wednesday, April 8
Lynchburg, Va.
3:00 PM ET
Liberty University
18-20
5
vs
12
Duke
29-11
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duke | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 11 | 2 |
| Liberty | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 9 | 2 |
No. 15 Duke Pulls Away Late for 12-5 Win at Liberty
4/8/2026 6:21:00 PM | Softball
LYNCHBURG, Va. – No. 15 Duke scored four unanswered runs over the final three innings, pulling away for a 12-5 victory over Liberty, Wednesday at Kamphuis Field at Liberty Softball Stadium.
The Blue Devils improve to 29-11 on the season with their sixth straight win, while the Lady Flames fall to 18-20. Duke was ranked between 15th and 17th among the four national polls this week.
Duke 12, Liberty 5
Scoring Summary
Duke – 1st INNING – Oakland doubles to right center, Jennings and Vega score, 2-0
Duke – 2nd INNING – Oakland grand slam to left center, Matthew, Jennings and Vega score, 6-0
Liberty – 2nd INNING – Strickland reached on fielder's choice, Lee advances, Jessee scores, 6-1
Duke – 3rd INNING – Vega advances to second, Jennings scores on error, Collins scores on wild pitch, 8-1
Liberty – 3rd INNING – McManus singles, advances on error, Doerr scores, 8-2
Liberty – 3rd INNING – Jessee triples to left center, Carrasquillo and McManus score, 8-4
Liberty – 4th INNING – McManus singles to right center, Byrum advances, Roberts scores, 8-5
Duke – 5th INNING – Vega homers to left, 9-5
Duke – 6th INNING – Shadek doubles to right center, Mathis scores, 10-5
Duke – 6th INNING – Matthews singles to right, advances, Stafford advances, Shadek scores, 11-5
Duke – 7th INNING – Jones sacrifice fly to right, Vega scores, 12-5
Turning Point
Notable Numbers
Liberty remains home and will welcome Western Kentucky for a three-game series, Friday through Sunday at Kamphuis Field at Liberty Softball Stadium. The Lady Flames and Hilltoppers are tied for second in CUSA standings.
The Blue Devils improve to 29-11 on the season with their sixth straight win, while the Lady Flames fall to 18-20. Duke was ranked between 15th and 17th among the four national polls this week.
Duke 12, Liberty 5
Scoring Summary
Duke – 1st INNING – Oakland doubles to right center, Jennings and Vega score, 2-0
Duke – 2nd INNING – Oakland grand slam to left center, Matthew, Jennings and Vega score, 6-0
Liberty – 2nd INNING – Strickland reached on fielder's choice, Lee advances, Jessee scores, 6-1
Duke – 3rd INNING – Vega advances to second, Jennings scores on error, Collins scores on wild pitch, 8-1
Liberty – 3rd INNING – McManus singles, advances on error, Doerr scores, 8-2
Liberty – 3rd INNING – Jessee triples to left center, Carrasquillo and McManus score, 8-4
Liberty – 4th INNING – McManus singles to right center, Byrum advances, Roberts scores, 8-5
Duke – 5th INNING – Vega homers to left, 9-5
Duke – 6th INNING – Shadek doubles to right center, Mathis scores, 10-5
Duke – 6th INNING – Matthews singles to right, advances, Stafford advances, Shadek scores, 11-5
Duke – 7th INNING – Jones sacrifice fly to right, Vega scores, 12-5
Turning Point
- Duke jumped out to a 6-0 lead, getting a first-inning two-run double and second-inning grand slam, both off the bat of Jessica Oakland.
- Facing an 8-1 deficit in the third, Liberty narrowed the gap to 8-4 on an RBI single by Brynn McManus and a two-run triple from Savannah Jessee. The Lady Flames added a run in the fourth when McManus drove in Brooke Roberts. A caught stealing on a first-and-third play ended the inning with Duke holding an 8-5 lead.
- The Blue Devils added four more runs to their lead, and a three-batter seventh ended the game.
Notable Numbers
- Duke outhit Liberty 11-9 for the game, with both teams committing two errors. The Blue Devils left eight runners on base, while the Lady Flames stranded four. The Blue Devils scored 10 out of their 12 runs with two outs.
- Duke relief pitcher Mallory Wheeler (8-4) earned the win, tossing four innings of shutout softball during which she allowed three hits and two walks while striking out one.
- Danner Allen (5-2) drew the loss, allowing six runs on three hits, walking four and striking out one in 1 2/3 innings. Facing her old team, Gabby Mike yielded five runs (three earned) on seven hits, walking three and fanning three in four innings pitched.
- Oakland batted 2-for-5 with a double, homer, six RBI and one run scored, while Aminah Vega went 2-for-2 with three walks, a double, homer and four runs scored. Gabriella Shadek and Adelyn Matthews both turned in two-hit games.
- Brynn McManus batted 2-for-3 with two RBI and one run scored, while Savannah Jessee went 2-for-4 with a double, triple, two RBI and one run. Alexia Carrasquillo went 2-for-4 with one run scored, while Paige Doerr batted 1-for-4 with a double and one run.
- Duke leads the all-time series against Liberty 8-2 in softball, with the Blue Devils winning each of the last seven meetings.
- McManus has recorded six straight multiple-hit games, tying the program record for most consecutive multiple-hit contests, set by Autumn Bishop in 2018 and tied by Rachel Roupe last year.
- Lee extended her hitting streak to nine games. She is tied with Ella Fox (from earlier this season) for the longest hitting streak by a Lady Flame this year. Her nine-game hitting streak is the longest by a Liberty freshman since 2017 (Autumn Bishop).
- Jessee, who recorded her first career triple today, is the first Lady Flame with two extra-base hits in a game since JaMaya Byrum, March 15 at Middle Tennessee.
Liberty remains home and will welcome Western Kentucky for a three-game series, Friday through Sunday at Kamphuis Field at Liberty Softball Stadium. The Lady Flames and Hilltoppers are tied for second in CUSA standings.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Mallory Wheeler (8-4)
L: Allen, Danner (5-2)
Batting:
2B: Aminah Vega 1 ; Jessica Oakland 1 ; Tyrina Jones 1 ; Gabriella Shadek 1
HR: Aminah Vega 1 ; Jessica Oakland 1
RBI: Aminah Vega 1 ; Jessica Oakland 6 ; Tyrina Jones 1 ; Gabriella Shadek 1 ; Adelyn Matthews 1
SF: Tyrina Jones 1
Base Running:
RUNS: D'Auna Jennings 3 ; Aminah Vega 4 ; Jessica Oakland 1 ; KK Mathis 1 ; Gabriella Shadek 1 ; London Collins 1 ; Adelyn Matthews 1
SB: D'Auna Jennings 1 ; Adelyn Matthews 1
HBP: KK Mathis 1
Batting:
2B: Doerr, Paige 1 ; Jessee, Savannah 1
3B: Jessee, Savannah 1
RBI: McManus, Brynn 2 ; Jessee, Savannah 2 ; Strickland, Maci 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Doerr, Paige 1 ; McManus, Brynn 1 ; Carrasquillo, Alexia 1 ; Jessee, Savannah 1 ; Roberts, Brooke 1
CS: McManus, Brynn 1
Game Leaders
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
2
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
2
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
P
/ Softball
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P/UTL
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INF
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OF
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