Lady Flames Post Season-Opening, 5-1 Win over Chattanooga
2/10/2017 12:00:00 AM | Softball
The Liberty softball team opened its 2017 season with a 5-1 win over Chattanooga to begin play at the Dot Richardson Invitational in Clermont, Fla., Friday.
The Lady Flames (1-0) won their season opener for the first time since Feb. 17, 2007, when they downed Appalachian State to start the campaign. Chattanooga (0-2) dropped both of its games on Friday.
Kenzie Friesen pitched five shutout innings of four-hit softball to earn the victory, while Julia DiMartino came on in relief and nailed down her first career save. Chattanooga's Alex Connell drew the loss, allowing four runs on six hits, while walking three and striking out four in five innings pitched.
For the game, both team registered seven hits, while each squad also left six on base.
Amber Bishop went 2-for-3 with a double and one RBI, while Deidra See batted 2-for-2 and scored a run. With a first-inning double, Bishop became the first Lady Flame since Kelby Allen in 2012 to record a hit during her first career at bat. Kayla Harris recorded a pinch-hit single in the sixth for a hit on her first career at bat.
Aly Walker and Ashley Conner both went 2-for-3 for the Mocs. One of Conner's hits in the contest was a home run.
Chattanooga threatened to score in each of the first two innings. During the second stanza, Jesslyn Stockard led off with a single before making it to third, following a sacrifice and a passed ball. Friesen then induced a groundout and flyout, keeping the game scoreless.
See led off the Liberty bottom of the second with a double to left, but Connell retired the next three batters.
Liberty extinguished another Mocs scoring chance in the third, when J.J. Hamill lined into a double play.
After turning an inning-ending double play in the fourth, the Lady Flames manufactured a run in the bottom half to take a 1-0 advantage. See drew a one-out walk. Following a walk to Tori Zavodny, pinch runner Jessica Cicerchia from second when Rylee Reynolds beat out a double play attempt by Chattanooga.
Liberty tacked on a run in the bottom of the fifth. Autumn Bishop doubled to left center with one out, before her sister, Amber Bishop plated her with a single to center for a 2-0 lead.
DiMartino entered the circle in relief of Friesen to start to sixth inning. The Mocs loaded the bases with nobody out, on a pair of singles and a walk. Facing the 4-5-6 hitters, DiMartino escaped the jam with a strikeout, fielder's choice and popout.
The Lady Flames added three insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth. Jaclyn Amader walked and See singled. Maddy Adams then relieved Connell, and gave up a sacrifice fly to Zavodny to make it, 3-0. Reynolds followed with a walk. See then scored from third on a double steal with Reynolds for a 4-0 edge. Sarah Robertson later drove in a run with the bases loaded fielder's choice ground ball for a 5-0 Lady Flames lead.
Conner homered to left as the leadoff batter in the seventh inning, spoiling Liberty's shutout bid. However, DiMartino completed the save by retiring the final three batters.
The Lady Flames next take on Fairleigh Dickinson at 6:30 p.m. this evening at the National Training Center.
