Ninth Inning Lifts #30 Liberty To 4-1 Win Over Gardner-Webb
April 18, 2014 | Baseball
The Flames (31-9, 15-1) won their 14th league game in a row, and took advantage of a pair of costly Gardner-Webb (16-22, 7-10 Big South) errors in the ninth to pull ahead for good.
With the score tied, 1-1, Big South Player of the Year favorite Ryan Seiz led off with a sharp single to left center and the game moved sideways for the Runnin' Bulldogs two pitches later.
Reserve outfielder Tray Roberts laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt, but the ball was thrown away at first, sending Seiz scrambling for third. A throw from right field in an attempt to cut Seiz down sailed high, allowing Roberts to reach second and Seiz to score for a 2-1 lead.
Another picture-perfect bunt, this time from Dalton Britt, hugged the line to put runners at the corners and Alex Close pushed the lead to 3-1 with a sacrifice fly. Danny Grauer drove in Britt with a single to left for a 4-1 lead before Gardner-Webb reliever Mitch Warner could snuff out the Flames.
Closer Ashton Perritt - who saved a pair of runs with a diving catch to end Gardner-Webb's seventh in center field - retired the Runnin' Bulldogs to end the game.
Gardner-Webb took a 1-0 lead in the first and held that advantage until the seventh inning. JJ Nazzaro led off the bottom of the first with a single, stole second and scored on a Scott Coleman RBI groundout.
Starting pitcher Andrew Barnett was dominant early on, striking out six of the first seven batters he faced and fanning eight through 4.0 innings. Liberty had a chance to pull even in the fifth, but Close was thrown out trying to advance to third on a Grauer single by Nazzaro from right field. Barnett got the 'Dogs back into the dugout with a groundball.
The Flames broke up the shutout in the seventh, when Britt blooped a ball into into shallow left and beat the throw to second for a hustle double. Grauer tied the game with a two-out single to left to drive home Britt. Grauer move to second on the throw home, but Barnett got a foul ball pop up to keep the game tied.
Matt Simmons doubled to lead off the bottom of the seventh, but he and Henry Rundio were both stranded by Perritt's diving catch in center with two outs on a sharply hit ball by Alex Newman.
Warner came on to retire Liberty in order in the eighth and Flames' reliever Shawn Clowers got a pair of outs in the eighth before giving way to Perritt after walking Tyler Best. Perritt issued a walked to Scott Coleman on a 3-2 breaking pitch, before striking out Simmons to strand two more runners.
Warner (1-3) took the loss, allowing one earned run (three runs) in 2.0 innings out of the pen. The sizzling start for Barnett lasted 7.0 innings and saw the senior righty strike out nine and allow just one run on five hits in a no decision.
Gardner-Webb had six hits in the game, with Rundio (2-for-3, 3B) leading the way. Nazzaro (1-for-4), Best (1-for-3), Coleman (1-for-3) and Simmons (1-for-4) also had hits in the game.
Perritt (1-1) hurled 1.1 innings for the win and went 1-for-4 at the plate before taking the mound. The Flames had eight hits, with Grauer (3-for-4, 2 RBI), Seiz (2-for-4, run) and Britt (2-for-4, 2B, 2 runs) leading the charge.
Starter Blake Fulghum went 6.1 innings, scattering six hits and allowed just one run (five strikeouts) in a fine pitchers' duel with Barnett.
The two teams will take the field Saturday afternoon, weather permitting, at 2:00 to wrap up the series. Friday's game was wisely moved forward to 3:30 pm from its original 6:00 start time in an attempt to beat wet weather - with steady rains starting just moments before the final pitch.
Saturday's game will air live on The Big South Network (bigsouthsports.com).
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