Liberty University
26-16, 12-4
Gardner-Webb
19-23, 5-11
Lyons Fires 1-Hit Shutout, as Liberty Rolls Past Gardner-Webb, 5-0
4/24/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Liberty left-hander Jared Lyons turned in a dominating pitching performance, leading the Flames to a 5-0 victory over the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs, Friday evening at Liberty Baseball Stadium.
Lyons pitched his second shutout of the season, only allowing a hit on the first pitch of the contest. The left-hander moves to 7-1 on the year, striking out nine batters and walking three.
After walking a batter with one out in the second inning, Lyons retired 16 consecutive Bulldogs, before walking a batter in the seventh with two outs to break up the run. The Big South Conference ERA leader did not allow a runner past second base until the ninth inning with two outs.
First baseman Alex Close posted his fifth three-hit game of the season and scored a run for the Flames in the victory.
Liberty moves to 12-4 in the Big South Conference and 26-16 overall. The Flames snap a two-game losing skid. Gardner-Webb drops to 5-11 in conference play and 19-23 overall.
Liberty plated all the runs Lyons needed in the third inning. Shortstop Dalton Britt opened the home half of the inning with a walk and moved to second on a single by Close. Catcher Becker Sankey followed by lining a double over the third base bag and into the left field corner, scoring Britt for a 1-0 edge.
Right fielder Will Shepherd then laid down a squeeze bunt to plate Close, and when Gardner-Webb's catcher Collin Thacker's throw was short of first base, Sankey came home for a 3-0 advantage. After Shepherd moved to third on a single by third baseman Sammy Taormina, designated hitter Andrew Yacyk lifted a run-producing sacrifice fly for a 4-0 lead.
With Lyons in control, Liberty added an insurance run in the eighth. Shepherd reached base on a dropped third strike to begin the bottom half of the inning. After stealing second and advancing to third on a fly out by Taormina, Shepherd scored on another sacrifice fly by Yacyk for what proved to be the final score of 5-0.
Gardner-Webb pitcher Erik Heiligenstadt also went the distance, falling to 4-4 on the season. A native of Forest, Va., located right outside of Lynchburg, Heiligenstadt gave up five runs, four earned, on 10 hits. He struck out eight batters and walked one.
Three Flames, Sankey, Taormina and center fielder Aaron Stroosma, collected two hits apiece in the contest.
Liberty and Gardner-Webb will meet tomorrow at 10 a.m. at Liberty Baseball Stadium. The first pitch was moved forward from 3 p.m. due to forecasted inclement weather expected in the Lynchburg area.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Lyons, Jared (7-1)
L: HEILIGENSTADT, Erik (4-4)
Base Running:
HBP: HODGE, Ryan 1
Batting:
2B: Sankey, Becker 1
RBI: Sankey, Becker 1 ; Shepherd, Will 1 ; Yacyk, Andrew 2
SH: Shepherd, Will 1
SF: Yacyk, Andrew 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Britt, Dalton 1 ; Close, Alex 1 ; Sankey, Becker 1 ; Shepherd, Will 2
SB: Shepherd, Will 1
