Liberty University
27-16, 13-4
Gardner-Webb
19-24, 5-12
Paxton's Single Gives Liberty a 3-2 Walk-off Win over Gardner-Webb
4/25/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
A one-out, ninth-inning single by left fielder Nick Paxton plated pinch runner Tray Roberts, giving the Liberty Flames a 3-2 victory over the Gardner-Webb, Saturday morning at Liberty Baseball Stadium.
After Gardner-Webb tied the contest at 2-2 with a run in the top of the ninth, Liberty answered in the bottom of the inning for the walk-off win.
Nick Salisbury, who entered in the top of the frame as a defensive replacement, walked. Salisbury was then pinch ran for by Roberts, who stole second base, and moved to third on a ground out by pinch hitter Nick Walker. Paxton followed by lining a 3-1 pitch back through the middle of the diamond for the 3-2 win.
Center fielder Ashton Perritt had two hits and scored two runs for Liberty.
Liberty moves to 13-4 in the Big South Conference and 27-16 overall. The Flames have won the first two games of the three-game conference series. Gardner-Webb drops to 5-12 in conference and 19-24 overall.
The contest's start time was moved up from a 3 p.m. first pitch to a 10 a.m. start due inclement weather forecasted for the Lynchburg area.
Liberty starting pitcher Victor Cole and Gardner-Webb starting pitcher Matt Fraudin found themselves locked in a pitchers' duel through the first eight innings. However, neither figured in the decision.
The Flames staked themselves to a 1-0 edge in the game's opening inning. Perritt led off the bottom of the first with a single. Two batters later, first baseman Alex Close drew a one-out walk and catcher Becker Sankey singled to load the bases. Third baseman Sammy Taormina then walked with two outs, forcing in Perritt for the 1-0 lead.
Liberty extended its advantage with a run in the fifth. Perritt singled with one out and advanced to third on a hit-and-run single by shortstop Dalton Britt. Close followed with a run-producing ground out for a 2-0 edge.
Gardner-Webb cut into the Flames' advantage in the eighth. With one out, pinch hitter Brantley Smith hit his first home run of the season, slicing the Liberty lead to 2-1.
In the top of the ninth, the Runnin' Bulldogs knotted the game off Flames' reliever Close. With one out, pinch hitter Matt Simmons reached on an error by Liberty first baseman Corey Howard. After Taylor Fisher came on to run for Simmons, pinch hitter Will Canady lined a hit-and-run single into the left-center field gap, plating Fisher to knot the score at 2-2. Close then stranded a Canady at third base to keep the game tied.
Cole allowed one run on five hits over eight innings of work. The left-hander struck eight and walked one batter.
Close evens his record at 1-1. He struck out two and did not walk a batter.
Gardner-Webb's Fraudin gave up two runs on six hits over eight innings. He struck out six and walked two batters.
Brad Haymes drops to 1-3 on the season. He gave up one run on one hit and walked a batter.
Liberty collected seven hits. Gardner-Webb had six.
The two teams conclude their three-game series at Liberty Baseball Stadium, tomorrow. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Close, Alex (1-1)
L: HAYMES, Brad (1-3)
Batting:
HR: SMITH, Brantley 1
RBI: CANADY, Will 1 ; SMITH, Brantley 1
Base Running:
RUNS: FISHER, Taylor 1 ; SMITH, Brantley 1
SB: HODGE, Ryan 1 ; THACKER, Collin 1
HBP: HODGE, Ryan 1
Batting:
RBI: Close, Alex 1 ; Taormina, Sammy 1 ; Paxton, Nick 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Perritt, Ashton 2 ; Roberts, Tray 1
SB: Roberts, Tray 1
