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Kami Eppley
8
Winner Stetson STET 23-22, 7-8 ASUN
7
Liberty LIBERTY 28-15, 12-3 ASUN
Winner
Stetson STET
23-22, 7-8 ASUN
8
Final
7
Liberty LIBERTY
28-15, 12-3 ASUN
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Stetson STET 0 0 5 2 0 1 0 8 8 2
Liberty LIBERTY 1 0 0 1 4 1 0 7 11 5

W: Hobbs, Lauren (11-8) L: BACHMAN, Paige (7-8)

Game Recap: Softball | | Athletic Communications

Hatters Get Gritty 8-7 Victory Over Liberty in Series Finale

Stetson scores six runs with two outs for big conference win

Lynchburg, Va. -- Stetson jumped out to a 7-1 lead then held on down the stretch for an 8-7 victory over Liberty Sunday afternoon at Liberty Softball Stadium.

The Hatters (23-22) posted their fourth win of the season over a Top 50 RPI opponent, perhaps none bigger as it comes in the later stages of a tightly-contested ASUN race.  The victory moves Stetson to 7-8 in conference play with three series to go.  Over the past two weekends, the Hatters went 3-3 against two of the top teams in the league in Jacksonville State and Liberty.

In addition, "Getaway Day" has proven to be very profitable for the Hatters this season as Stetson is now 6-0 in series finales, including 5-0 in conference play.  All six of those wins have come in the form of 1-run victories.

Sunday, the Hatters fell behind 1-0 before scoring the next seven in a row.  In the top of the third, Stetson loaded the bases with no outs when Evette Morgan was hit by a pitch to force home the tying run, and Juls Schumacher walked in another to make it 2-1 Stetson.  With two outs, Marissa Baxter delivered an RBI single to right, and two more runs scored on a Liberty error to give Stetson a 5-1 lead.

In the top of the fourth, the Hatters added two more runs when Brianna Clary and Alyssa Gilman each singled and scored on two-out Liberty error off the bat of Gianna Niemeier.

The Flames (28-14, 12-3) battled back, however, scoring one in the fourth and four in the fifth to pull within 7-6.  The Hatters responded, this time off of Flames ace Karlie Keeney, when Schumacher beat out an infield single with two outs to score Morgan from third.  

That run proved vital as Liberty once again cut the deficit to one in the bottom of the sixth, and then put the tying run aboard. However, Lauren Hobbs (11-8) turned a pop out into a 1-3 double play to get out of the inning, then retired the side in order in the seventh to nail down the victory.

Stetson collected eight hits in the game, including three by Clary and two by Baxter.  Schumacher drove in a pair while Clary and Gilman scored two runs apiece.  All told, the Hatters scored six runs Sunday with two outs.

Defensively the Hatters turned two double plays, while Hobbs worked the first two and final two innings in the circle to earn the victory.

Stetson handed Liberty a rare home loss - just the third for the Flames this season - as well as a rare conference loss.  The Flames are 36-4 in their last 40 ASUN regular season games, with two of those four losses now coming at the hands of Stetson.  

The Hatters will return home for a Tuesday afternoon affair against the fourth-ranked Florida State Seminoles.  FSU will be making their first ever appearance at Patricia Wilson Field and their first visit to DeLand since 2000.  The game will begin at 3 p.m. and will be broadcast live on ESPN+.  Tickets for this game have been SOLD OUT.

Notes: Stetson's 13 runs in the series is the most ever allowed by Liberty in any ASUN series since joining the league 2019 ... Stetson also took the series finale at Liberty last year when Lizzie Shubert hit a 7th-inning grand slam to lift Stetson to a 7-6 victory ... Stetson is in a stretch of 12 straight games against Top 100 RPI opponents ... Stetson is 13-9 in 1-run games this season and 15-0 when leading after 6 innings.

About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program is driven by a shared purpose. It is what inspires, motivates and binds us together. More than a task, a reason for being. THE HATTER PURPOSE is to create and provide an experience of a lifetime through teamwork and relationships to achieve excellence. This purpose is achieved through five Core Values: Communication, Integrity, Excellence, Value People and Commitment. To learn more about the HATS program and our Core Values, visit GoHatters.com/HATS.

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