Liberty Union makes a statement by blasting six HRs against Bloom-Carroll
· Yahoo Sports
BALTIMORE – What was supposed to be a premier early-season matchup against visiting Bloom-Carroll and Liberty Union – two of the top softball teams in the state in their respective divisions – turned into a statement game for the Lions.
Liberty Union, which won a state championship in 2024 and was state runner-up a year ago, jumped all over the Bulldogs in the first inning and never let up in a 13-2 Mid-State League-Buckeye Division win on Monday, April 6.
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Liberty Union improved to 7-0 overall and 3-0 in the MSL-Buckeye Division while the Bulldogs suffered their first loss, slipping to 7-1, 1-1. The two teams shared the league title a year ago, with each team winning on the other’s home field.
The Lions were bound and determined not to let that happen. They came out aggressively, and it was bombs away as they finished with 12 hits, six of them being home runs.
Sophomore pitcher Eden Wilson was locked in from the start in the circle and at the plate. Her three-run home run in the bottom of the first inning set the tone for what was to come.
“We shared the league championship with them last year, and both teams lost some key players, but today, I would say what we replaced outperformed what they replaced. It was just a good day for us. We saw the ball well, and we put it in play a lot. We have speed at the top with our first two batters, and if they can get on, we come with some pop after that. Three through eight in the lineup, we have a lot of power. This is a rivalry game, and it was nice to make a statement, but all it did was get us to 1-0 on the day.”
Senior catcher Emilyn Kanet, who hit two home runs and had three RBIs, said losing at home to the Bulldogs left a sour taste in their mouth, and her team wanted to right that wrong.
“We were really hungry because things didn’t go our way when we played them at home last year,” Kanet said. “We were locked in and ready to go on the first pitch. We played with a chip on our shoulders and played with a lot of energy. It doesn’t matter what we have done in the past, but we have set a standard, and we expect to live up to it every time we go out there.”
Things started a little shaky in the top of the first inning for Wilson, who gave up two walks, and both runners advanced into scoring position with stolen bases, but she was quickly able to gather herself and strike out the next two batters.
In the bottom half of the first inning, Haedan Brunty singled and was followed by a double from Suzie Schultz, and Wilson wasted no time giving her team the lead by swinging at the first pitch she saw and promptly hitting a towering three-run home run.
The Lions scored three more runs in the second inning on a groundout, a wild pitch, and sophomore Ryleigh Brown hit a solo home run to make it 6-0. Kanet hit a solo home run in the third to push the score to 7-0. The Bulldogs got on the board in the fourth inning when Addy Brown led off with a double, and she eventually scored on a bases-loaded walk.
However, the Lions in their half of the inning by scored four runs. Brunty led off with a single and Shultz hit a two-run home run, and later in the inning, Kanet hit her second home run to push the score to 11-1.
The Bulldogs scored an unearned run on a throwing error in the fifth, but Brown ended it in the sixth with her second home run, a two-run shot. Brown finished with three hits, and Brunty went 3-for-4 and scored three runs.
Wilson was able to work out of a couple of jams to keep the Bulldogs at bay. She pitched five innings, giving up two hits and one earned run, while striking out seven. Schultz pitched the sixth inning and didn’t allow a hit.
“I wasn't getting a lot of calls early, but I just tried to spin the ball better,” Wilson said. “I feel like I am a good pressure pitcher and I tend to in some tough situations, but I just bear down and battle out of them.”
The Bulldogs collected two of their three hits in the fifth inning, and after scoring on an error, the bases were still loaded, but Wilson ended the threat by getting a pop-up.
Brown, Madison Kellett and Gabby Johnson had Bloom-Carroll’s three hits.
Tom Wilson is a sports reporter for the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette. Contact him at 740-689-5150 or via email at [email protected] for comments or story tips. Follow him on X at twil2323.
This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Liberty Union softball dominates rival Bloom-Carroll by hitting six HRs