A 10th inning, two-out single by first baseman Sammy Taormina gave the Liberty Flames a 4-3 walk-off victory over the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats Saturday at Liberty Baseball Stadium.
After battling back in both the eighth and ninth innings to send the game to extras, Liberty pushed the winning run across in the home half of the 10th. With two outs, Jonathan Embry, who entered the game as a pinch runner in the ninth, and left fielder Jack Barbee each walked.
Taormina followed by ripping the first pitch from Wildcats reliever Isaak Gutierrez back through the middle of the diamond, scoring both runners for the 4-3 win.
Center fielder D.J. Artis hit his third home run of the season in the contest for the Flames.
With the win, Liberty moves to 15-10 on the season and snaps a three-game losing streak. Bethune-Cookman drops to 19-10. The Wildcats took the first game of the series, 5-4, Friday.
Neither team was able to score during the first six innings. Making the first start of his Liberty career, freshman right-hander Garret Price pitched five scoreless innings, before giving way to Shane Quarterley. Meanwhile, Bethune-Cookman’s Tyler Norris held the Flames to one hit until the seventh.
Liberty broke up the pitchers’ duel in the bottom of the seventh. Designated hitter Eric Grabowski, who had two hits in the game, reached on a bunt single to open the home half of the inning and advanced to third base on Taormina’s first hit of the contest, a single. Grabowski then scored on a ground ball double play for a 1-0 edge.
The Wildcats answered in the top of the eighth. Third baseman Jameel Edney was hit by a pitch and with one away, advanced to second on a single by right fielder Adonis Lao. After designated hitter Trent Nash flew out, catcher Chase DeBonis singled to right field, plating both runners to take a 2-1 advantage.
With two outs in the bottom of the eighth, Artis knotted the game again. The center fielder ripped a 1-0 offering from Bethune-Cookman reliever Alexis Herrera over the right field wall to deadlock the game at 2-2.
In the top of the ninth, the visiting Wildcats took back the lead with another two-out run. Shortstop Nate Sterijevski doubled to right to lead off the inning and with one out, moved to third on a fly out. Edney followed with a single back through the middle to give Bethune-Cookman the 3-2 lead.
Liberty countered in the bottom of the inning to send the game to extra innings. Grabowski walked and Taormina was hit by a pitch to open the inning. Second baseman Andrew Kowalo then reached on a throwing error by Wildcats third baseman Edney to load the bases. Two batters later, Josh Barrick, who came in as defensive replacement in the top of the inning, lifted a fly ball to left, scoring pinch runner Embry and knotting the game at 3-3.
Zander Clouse moves to 2-1 on the season. The Liberty right-hander allowed one run on two hits during two innings of relief. He struck out two and walked one.
Gutierrez drops to 1-2. He gave up one run on one hit. He walked two.
The Flames collected six hits. The Wildcats had 11. Both teams each committed an error.
Up Next: Liberty and Bethune-Cookman will meet in the final game of their three-game non-conference series at Liberty Baseball Stadium, tomorrow. The rubber match of the series is scheduled for 1 p.m.
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