Rachel Roupe hit two home runs for Liberty, Savannah Jessee hit a two-run shot, and the Flames upset overall No. 1 NCAA softball tourney seed Texas A&M 6-5 Sunday night to win the Bryan-College Station Regional and eliminate the top-seeded Aggies.
Unseeded Liberty (50-13) will play the winner between No. 13 seed Arizona and Mississippi in a Super Regional next weekend. A&M (48-10) became the first No. 1 overall seed not to advance through its regional.
With LU trailing 3-1, KK Madrey drew a leadoff walk in the sixth and Paige Doerr and Rachel Crane struck out swinging before Jessee homered to make it 3-3. JaMaya Byrum walked on four consecutive pitches, Savannah Woodard followed with a single, and Roupe hit a shot off the scoreboard in left field to give the Flames a 6-3 lead.
Kaylan Yoder replaced Flames starter Elena Escobar (25-3) with one out and runners on first and second. Kennedy Powell flied out and Koko Wooley’s infield single scored Kramer Eschete to cut Texas A&M’s deficit to 6-5 before Mya Perez flied out to end the inning.
Yoder struck out Eschete to end the game and earn her first save of the season.
No. 1 Texas A&M 14, Liberty 11, 8 innings: In their first meeting of the day and second clash of the weekend, the Aggies narrowly escaped elimination by former Olympian Dot Richardson’s Flames — for a few hours, anyway.
Liberty led 6-0 after two innings, then saw A&M score 10 runs in the next three innings to go ahead 10-6 after five. It was 11-7 before Liberty scored four runs in the bottom of the seventh and had the bases loaded with two out. An RBI infield single by Rachel Roupe made it 11-10, giving her five RBIs for the game, before A&M’s Kate Munnerlyn hit Alyssa Henault with a pitch to force in the tying run.
A&M brought in freshman Sydney Lessentine for high-pressure relief, and batter KK Madrey reached a 3-2 count before a routine flyout to left field.
A&M responded with a three-run eighth, featuring a two-run single by Kennedy Powell, giving her four RBIs and three hits for the game. Lessentine retired Liberty in order to force a decisive game later Sunday.
No. 15 Alabama 3, Virginia Tech 2: The Hokies’ season ended as they went 2-2 at the NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional. Both losses were to Alabama, including one Saturday.
After a 3 1/2-weather delay Sunday, the teams were scoreless in the first four innings. Two singles and a walk by the Crimson Tide loaded the bases in the top of the fifth.
Audrey Vandagriff drew a bases-loaded walk to put Alabama ahead 1-0, and Lauren Johnson hit a two-run single for a 3-0 lead.
Tech’s Emma Lemley nevertheless pitched a complete game, yielding six hits and three walks while striking out seven in seven innings.
Shut down for six innings by Tide starter Catelyn Riley, the Hokies, one of the nation’s best home-run-hitting teams, got back into the game with their last chance in the bottom of the seventh. Michelle Chatfield singled with one out and scored when No. 9 batter Rachel Castine belted a two-run homer to left field.
Alabama then brought on Jocelyn Briski in relief. Facing two of Tech’s biggest threats, she struck out Cori McMillan and induced Jordan Lynch to foul out to the catcher, advancing the Tide to a Super Regional.