By Pete Fagan
LYNCHBURG, VA – Marist trailed 3-0 entering the ninth but came up clutch with hits on five of their first six at-bats to tie the game. However, Liberty walked off in the bottom of the winning to take the 4-3 win.
Ryan Cardona threw a strong 5.2 innings in his second start of the season, punching out nine with just one walk. Freshmen Colin Mackle (3-for-4) and Donnie Stone (2-for-4) were exceptional in the tail end of the lineup as eight Red Foxes tallied hits.
The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the fifth when Liberty strung together a pair of hits to lead 2-0. They added another run in the seventh with an RBI-double from Cam Locklear.
Trailing 3-0 in the ninth, Marist recorded three-consecutive singles from Niko Amory, Reece Armitage and Colin Mackle to load the bases. Pinch hitter Matt Rubayo would come up clutch with a single to drive in Amory, and then Robbie Armitage smacked a big two-run single to deep left field to score Reece and Mackle.
Ben Highfill homered in the bottom of the inning to give the Flames the walk-off victory.
Marist heads to Johnson City, Tennessee for a tournament in which they will play Ohio University, East Tennessee State and Wagner. Game one begins on Friday, March 6 at noon.
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