University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
Liberty
Late Run Pushes Liberty Past Bulldogs Thursday Night
03.24.2016 | Baseball
THE RUNDOWN
Scores: Liberty 7 – Asheville 6
Teams: Asheville (5-16, 0-4 BSC)
Liberty (14-10, 1-0 BSC)
Location: Liberty Baseball Stadium / Lynchburg, VA
Friday: LIVE VIDEO (ESPN3) - LIVE STATS
LYNCHBURG, VA – A three-run sixth inning gave visiting UNC Asheville the lead Friday night before Liberty was able to tie the game and then plate the eventual game-winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning as the Bulldogs fell 7-6 in the teams' Big South series opener Thursday night.
THE TURNING POINT
Tied at 6-all, Liberty opened the bottom of the eighth inning with a leadoff double before advancing the runner with a sacrifice bunt and scoring the run with a high chopper over the head of a drawn in Asheville infield for the deciding run.
NOTABLES
-Three Bulldogs combined for six of Asheville's nine hits, as Joe Tietjen, Danny Wilson and Kyle Carruthers each had two hits in the middle of the lineup for the visitors. Wilson finished with two RBIs, while Tietjen, Carruthers and Pete Guy all brought home one run.
-Reliever Eric Whitecavage, the fourth Asheville pitcher of the night, was the tough luck loser after allowing two hits and one run in the eighth inning to Liberty. Starter Jordan Fulbright gave up five runs on six hits in 3 1/3 innings, while Zach Greene bridged the gap and kept the Bulldogs in the game with his 2 1/3 innings of relief, allowing just one unearned run and two hits.
-Asheville left 10 runners on base in the game.
-Liberty finished with 10 hits, led by two apiece from D.J. Artis and Josh Barrick. Reliever Shane Quarterley earned the win after 3 2/3 innings out of the bullpen.
-The Bulldogs took the lead in the top of the first inning on Wilson's RBI single to score Lucas Owens before Liberty answered with a run of its own in the second inning via a solo home run. The Flames then scored three runs in the third inning, highlighted by a two-run double, to push out to a three-run advantage.
-Each team scored in the fourth frame, with Carmine Pagano's RBI single bringing in Asheville's run before Liberty used a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the inning.
-The Bulldogs cut into the deficit with Carruthers' RBI single in the top of the fifth before taking the lead in the sixth with three runs. Guy drew a bases loaded walk to bring home the first run before Tietjen delivered an RBI infield single and Wilson followed with a fielder's choice ground ball to give Asheville a 6-5 advantage.
-Liberty tied the game in the bottom of the sixth with an RBI single and the game remained tied at 6-all until the eighth, when the Flames received a leadoff double to open the inning and then sacrificed him to third with a bunt before Artis drove home the eventual winning run with his RBI single.
UP NEXT
-Following tonight's loss, Asheville continues the series with Liberty Friday night at 7:00 p.m. before wrapping things up Saturday afternoon. Friday night's game will also be available on ESPN3.
