[Stevev]

O my God a grand Slam by Jessica Moore. We are up 7-0.

[thepostman]

Ladies doing well lead 3-0 vs Pacific. Bases loaded 1 down in the 5th. Chance to do some more damage. Ashley Williams with a homer early on.

Ashley Williams is my friend on facebook and i honestly have no idea how I know her....I must know her because I don't just become friends with anybody....anyways just a random thought....

[PAmedic]

great to see the bats coming alive.

ESP against PACIFIC

[Stevev]

Bottom of the seventh and we lead 7-4. Gave up a grand slam then changed pitchers. Need to close this thing out.

[Stevev]

We win 7-4. Pacific had the bases loaded but we got out of it. Nice win!

[bigsmooth]

Moore And Williams Home Runs Lift Liberty To Victory Over Tigers
Ashley Williams hit her second home run of the year, a two-run blast to left center in Liberty's 7-4 victory over Pacific.
March 9, 2007
Honolulu, Hawaii

Ashley Williams hit a two-run homer in the fourth, Jessica Moore hit a grand slam in the fifth and Liberty defused a seventh-inning rally to post a 7-4 victory over Pacific to open championship play on Friday at the Hawaiian Airlines Spring Fling Tournament, hosted by Hawaii at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.

With the victory, the Lady Flames raise their record to 10-7 on the year and avenge an eight-inning 7-3 loss to the Tigers yesterday in pool play action.

The game remained scoreless until the top of the fourth inning as Jessica Moore reached on a single that glanced off Alyce Jorgensen’s glove in the circle. Ashley Williams followed with a two-run homer, her second of the season, with the round tripper to left-center field giving Liberty a 2-0 lead.

Liberty added to its advance in the top of the fifth inning as the Lady Flames exploded for five runs on six hits, batting around the order to take a 7-0 lead.

Shannon McKain and Courtney Johnson started the scoring outburst with back-to-back singles, followed by Beth Hensley reaching on a fielder’s choice play where pinch runner Kristina Jerry ran into shortstop Lizzie Hagen on her way to third base, allowing Jerry to stay at third on the obstruction to load the bases.

Dawn Jeffs followed with a RBI base hit through the left side of the drawn-in infield, extending the senior’s hitting streak to 14-straight games. Two batters later, Moore pushed Liberty’s lead to seven runs as the senior connected on a grand slam home run to straightaway center field, accounting for her team-leading fifth homer of the year.

The Tigers, who mustered just one hit over the first five frames, finally started to get their offense going in the bottom of the sixth inning, beginning with a sharp double down the right field line by lead-off hitter Gina Carbonatto, followed by an infield single from Hagen.

Jennifer Curtier grounded back to pitcher Terra Lowe in the circle in the next at bat, but Lowe’s throw to third to try and get the lead runner wasn’t in time, loading the bases for Briana Santos, who connected on a grand slam to left field, trimming Liberty’s lead to 7-4.

Pacific mounted a threat in the bottom of the seventh inning as base hits by Mandy Hickman and Hagen and a walk to Carbonatto loaded the bases, but reliever Sarah Ellis got back-to-back infield groundouts to end the threat and secure the victory.

Ellis picked up her first save of the year as the sophomore scattered two hits over two innings of work. Lowe was the victor for the Lady Flames as she allowed four runs on four hits in five-plus innings of work to up her record to 3-2 on the year.

The Lady Flames pounded out 10 hits in the game, marking the seventh time in 17 games this year in which Liberty has reached a double-figure hit total. Seven different batters in the order recorded hits with Moore leading the way as she was 2-for-4 with four RBI, followed by Williams who was 2-for-4 with two RBI.

[bigsmooth]

Two-Out Homer Gives No. 14 Oregon State Comeback Victory Over Lady Flames
Jessica Moore hit her team-leading sixth home run of the year against No. 14 Oregon State.
March 9, 2007
Honolulu, Hawaii

The Lady Flames came within an out of posting a shutout victory over No. 14 Oregon State and a trip to the championship game of the Hawaiian Airlines Spring Fling Tournament; however Tarah Black hit a two-out, three-run homer to propel the Beavers to the victory, Friday afternoon, at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.

Earlier in the day, the Lady Flames avenged a 7-3 loss on Thursday to Pacific by downing the Tigers, 7-4, to advance to face the 14th-ranked Beavers. With the split on the day, Liberty moves to 10-8 on the year and will face the winner of Pacific and Boston College in the third-place game of the tournament at Noon (local time) tomorrow afternoon.

Liberty looked like it was going to get on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth inning as Sarah Swor singled to left field, but with Jessica Moore rounding third base, Alana Ford was able to gun down Moore at the plate to keep the game tied at zero.

The score remained the same until the bottom of the sixth inning when Moore hit her team-leading six home run of the year, connecting on a solo home run off the scoreboard in right field to give Liberty a 1-0 lead.

Oregon State got back-to-back hits in the top of the seventh on a bunt single by Paige Lowe followed by a base hit through the left side of the infield by Ford to begin its rally.

DeAnn Young grounded into a fielder’s choice as the Lady Flames kept the ball in the infield and got the lead runner in Lowe out at third base for the second out of the frame.

However, Tarah Black, batting ninth in the order, saved Oregon State from suffering the upset loss as she hit a two-out, three-run home run to center field, putting the Beavers up 3-1. The round tripper marked Black’s third career hit, each of which have been home runs for the freshman.

Liberty got one runner on in the bottom of the seventh by virtue of a walk, but Ta’Tyana McElroy was able to hold off another Liberty seventh-inning rally, securing the victory to push her personal record to 7-4 on the season. The senior finished the game by allowing five hits and one run in 7.0 innings of work.

Sarah Ellis was the tough-luck loser as the sophomore had one of her better career outings by allowing three runs, all on the two-out seventh inning homer, on six hits in the complete-game loss to fall to 4-3 on the year.

Moore was 2-for-3 from the plate with the solo home run and Swor was also 2-for-3, including a double in the second inning. Dawn Jeffs finished the game 0-for-3, ending the senior’s 14-game hitting streak.

[thesportscritic]

WOW!!!!!!!!! is this really happening? we are actually playing with ranked teams all of a sudden? they were in an arms reach of picking up a huge win. Still lots of games to be played.

[BJWilliams]

How bout Sarah Swor swinging the big bat all of a sudden...I thought the stereotype about pitchers was that they couldn't hit (or is that just baseball pitchers?)

[Stevev]

We are playing Pacific right now and just took the lead in the top of the 6th inning. We have out and the bases are loaded with the freshman Jefferson up with a chance to drive in more runs.

[Stevev]

To the bottom of the ninth inning. We lead 5-3 with Sarah Swor in relief. Need to close this thing and move on.

[Stevev]

We hold on to win 5-3. Take 3rd place. Not bad at all. We take 3 days off and then face Hawaii Pacific and Baylor.

[bigsmooth]

Lady Flames Rally Over Pacific To Claim Third Place At Hawaii Spring Fling
Sarah Swor added to her all-time career saves record as she helped secure Liberty's victory over Pacific.
March 10, 2007
Honolulu, Hawaii

For the third-straight day, Liberty and Pacific squared off at the Hawaiian Airlines Spring Fling Tournament and for the third-straight time it came down to the last inning where Liberty was able to hold off Pacific to win 5-3, claiming third at the tournament hosted by Hawaii at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.

With the victory, the Lady Flames raise their record to 11-8 on the year. Liberty finished the weekend with a 3-4 record at the Hawaii Spring Fling, including taking two out of three games against Pacific who entered the event with an 11-3 record.

The Lady Flames wasted little time taking a lead in the contest as Dawn Jeffs sent the third pitch of the game over the fence in left-center field for a home run, her fifth on the year, with the opposite-field shot giving Liberty a 1-0 lead.

The Tigers quickly answered back in similar fashion as lead-off hitter Gina Carbonatto hit the fifth pitch offered from starter Dana Wheeler over the fence in right center field, knotting the game at 1-1.

Pacific took the lead in the bottom of the third inning as five-consecutive hits led to two runs. Lizzie Hagen started the Tigers’ scoring with a single through the left side of the infield, followed by Jennifer Curtier’s base hit back up the middle.

Briana Santo followed Curtier’s lead with her own base hit up the middle, driving in Hagen. Alyce Jorgensen also singled back up the middle, but Jessica Moore was able to field the base hit and gun down Curtier at the plate for the second out of the inning.

Lauren Weyman got the Tigers’ fifth-straight hit with a base knock to center field, driving in Santos to give Pacific a 3-1 lead.

Liberty cut into the Tigers’ advantage during its next at bat as Ashley Williams hit her third home run of the season and her second in as many days against Pacific as the junior hit a solo home run to center field to start the fourth and to trim the Tigers’ lead to one run, 3-2.

The Lady Flames put together their own hit string as four-straight hits led to two Liberty runs in the sixth, allowing Liberty to take a 4-3 lead. Sarah Swor started things for the Lady Flames by drawing a walk, followed by Shannon McKain’s base hit back up the middle.

Courtney Johnson tried to sacrifice both runners into scoring position with a bunt, but the third baseman was able to reach with a bunt base hit just in front of the circle to load the bases.

Pinch hitter Taylor McCarty dropped in a RBI base hit to right field, marking her second hit in her second career at bat, to drive in pinch runner Kristina Jerry from third and tie the game. Jeffs capped off the two-run frame for Liberty as the senior slapped one into the gap in left-center field, plating McKain to allow Liberty to regain the lead, 4-3.

The Lady Flames plated an insurance run in the top of the seventh inning as Williams started off the frame with a base hit back up the middle. Two batters later, Swor doubled to the gap in left-center field, followed by McKain’s single through the right side of the infield, driving in Williams and pushing Liberty’s lead to 5-3.

But as in the past two meetings during the tournament for the two teams, the Tigers mounted a rally in their final at bat. Swor, who relieved Sarah Ellis in the sixth inning, got the first two outs of the frame.

However, Lauren Weyman singled to right and pinch hitter Mandy Hickman was issued a four-pitch walk, placing the tying run at first base. But Swor caught Casey Goldstand looking on a pitch on the outer part of the plate to end the potential threat and secure the victory for Liberty.

Swor allowed one hit in 1 2/3 innings of work to add to her all-time school career saves record with her second save of the year and the ninth of her career.

Ellis picked up the win in relief of Wheeler as Ellis allowed one run on six hits in 3.0 innings of work to up her record to 5-3. Wheeler started the game and allowed two runs on five hits during the first 2 1/3 innings of the contest.

For the eighth time in 18 contests, the Lady Flames pounded out double-digits hits as Liberty racked up 11 in the victory over the Tigers. Five different players finished the game with two hits including Jeffs (2-for-2 with two RBI), Williams (2-for-4 with two runs scored), Swor (2-for-3), McKain (2-for-3 with a run scored) and Johnson (2-for-3).

The Lady Flames will return to action on Tuesday when they travel across the island for a doubleheader with Hawaii Pacific. First pitch of the day is set for 2 p.m. (local time).