LYNCHBURG, Va. – Liberty prevented Missouri State from claiming a sweep in its inaugural Conference USA series Sunday with a 9-3 victory over the Bears at Liberty Baseball Stadium.
Missouri State (12-7, 2-1 CUSA) scored single runs in each of the first two innings, with Caden Bogenpohl launching his fourth home run of the season in the opening frame and Charlie Carter adding a sac fly in the second.
Liberty (13-5, 1-2) answered with a two-spot each time courtesy of Jordan Jaffe, who swatted a two-run homer in the first and two-run single in the second for a 4-2 lead.
Flames starter Bradley Zayac (3-0) took control after that, striking out 10 without a walk over six innings before Cooper Harrington pitched the final three frames to help the home team rack up 14 strikeouts.
Liberty added one to its lead with a leadoff walk and two singles in the fourth, then took advantage of a dropped third strike in the sixth to score four times thanks to three singles and two walks, leading 9-2 at that point as its final 11 hits of the game were singles.
The Bears loaded the bases with no outs in the seventh, but the rally was quickly squashed with a run-scoring double play for the 9-3 final.
Carter Bergman led the offense with a 3-for-4 day at the plate and two runs, and Lance Wade pitched two shutout innings for his longest outing as a Bear. Logan Fyffe extended his hitting streak to 11 games.
Missouri State is scheduled to begin a five-game home stand on Tuesday, March 17 at 3 p.m. against Arkansas State.
