4-Run 6th Sends Liberty to 8-6 Win Over Blue Raiders, Securing Series Sweep

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Liberty overcame a 6-4, sixth-inning deficit, scoring four times in the sixth to post an 8-6 win over Middle Tennessee and secure a series sweep on Sunday at Blue Raider Softball Field.

The Lady Flames improve to 11-15 on the season, including 4-2 in Conference USA play. Meanwhile, Middle Tennessee falls to 12-13, 3-3 in conference games. Liberty outscored the Blue Raiders by a combined 27-6 over the three-game sweep, including a pair of shutouts.

Scoring Summary
Liberty – 2^nd INNING – Byrum doubles to left, Doerr and Strickland score, 2-0
Liberty – 2^nd INNING – Roberts singles up the middle, Byrum scores, 3-0
Liberty – 3^rd INNING – Byrum doubles to right, Strickland scores, 4-0
Middle Tennessee – 3^rd INNING – Want homers to right center, 4-1
Middle Tennessee – 3^rd INNING – Nwogbo reaches on error, Chatman advances, Blevins scores, 4-2
Middle Tennessee – 5^th INNING – Chatman homers to right, 4-3
Middle Tennessee – 5^th INNING – Nwogbo homers to right center, 4-4
Middle Tennessee – 5^th INNING – Medlock homers to left, McDonald scores, 6-4
Liberty – 6^th INNING – Carrasquillo homers to left, Fox and Whatley score, 7-6
Liberty – 6^th INNING – McManus homers to left, 8-6

Turning Point

• Middle Tennessee got homers from Kennedy Chatman, Adaeze Nwogbo and Lexi Medlock in a four-run fifth inning, pushing the Blue Raiders ahead, 6-4.
• The Lady Flames rallied in the top of the sixth. Brooke Roberts and Ella Fox singled before Alexia Carrasquillo’s one-out homer gave Liberty a 7-6 lead. With two outs, Brynn McManus added a solo home run.
• Camden Anders came on for the six-out save, working around a pair of seventh-inning baserunners.

Notable Numbers

• Liberty led Middle Tennessee 14-9 in hits, while the Lady Flames committed one error. The Blue Raiders left 14 runners on base, compared to eight stranded by Liberty.
• Caitlyn Nesbitt (1-1) earned her first career win, allowing two runs on two hits, walking one and striking out one in one inning of relief. Anders picked up her second save with two innings of one-hit relief, walking three and fanning one.
• Mary Martinez (2-5) drew the loss, allowing four runs on five hits in 2 1/3 innings of relief.
• Maci Strickland batted 3-for-4 with a double and two runs, while Brooke Roberts went 3-for-4 with one RBI. JaMaya Byrum went 2-for-4 with two doubles and three RBI. Paige Doerr batted 2-for-3 with one run scored. Alexia Carrasquillo (three RBI) and Brynn McManus (one) both homered.
• Jana Want and Ansley Blevins both went 2-for-4 for Middle Tennessee. Want, Chatman, Nwogbo and Medlock all homered for the Blue Raiders.

Beyond the Box Score

• Liberty is now 11-4 all-time against Middle Tennessee in softball, including 8-1 since the Lady Flames joining Conference USA.
• The Lady Flames have won 18 out of 19 Conference USA series since joining the conference prior to the 2024 season.
• Carrasquillo homered three times and drove in 10 runs during four games this week. Both Tuesday at James Madison and today, Carrasquillo gave Liberty a 7-6 lead with a three-run homer in the sixth inning.
• Liberty’s 27 runs scored were its most runs in a three-game conference series since scoring 32 runs at Queens, May 5-6, 2023.
• Nesbitt, Anders, Gabby Mike and Abigail Findlay all have earned their first career pitching win this season.

Up Next
Liberty remains on the road and will play a three-game series at UTEP, Thursday through Saturday in El Paso, Texas.