ROANOKE, Va. – Liberty staved off elimination twice on Saturday, taking out the host school No. 9 Tennessee in the process. But the Flames ran out of steam against James Madison in the Knoxville Regional Final on Sunday, falling 8-5.
Denay Griffin set the tone early with a two-run home run in the bottom of the first to give Liberty the 2-0 advantage. They would build a 3-1 lead heading into the 5th inning, when the bats for the Dukes came alive.
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JMU would score five runs in the inning and added some insurance in the sixth inning by way of a Lauren Bernett two-run home run.
Speaking on the Dukes offense, Liberty head coach Dot Richardson said, “They just connected, we went through 4 different pitchers. So they got it done, well-deserved, they out hit us and we went down fighting and that’s all you can ask.”
Amber Bishop-Riley added, “That’s just what happens in a game sometimes. The teams just get hits and ring them together so you just have to stay focused an know that you have to get the outs and then come back in the dugout and get your own hits, get your own runs.”
James Madison advances to the Super Regionals for the second consecutive season where they will play No. 8 Missouri.