Mackenzi Tice earned the win to up the Mounties’ regular season unbeaten streak to 35 games, going all seven innings and allowing five runs (3 earned) on five base hits and three walks with 11 strikeouts. 

Tice and Corning starting pitcher Peyton Sullivan kept the other’s offense in check through the first three frames, with each hurler giving up a pair of base hits and combining for nine strikeouts, but the Mounties would chase Sullivan in the fourth.

Following a leadoff strikeout, the Mounties’ Haley Litzelman connected on a no-doubt home run to center to score the game’s first run. After a ground out, Addie Smith and Payton Chapel both reached base on hard-hit Corning errors, Marissa Griess drove Smith in with a single that dropped in front of the right fielder and Nikki Kiscadden doubled to score Griess and give Liberty a 4-0 lead.

The Hawks answered with a four-run 5th inning, taking advantage of a pair of Liberty errors and a double by Sullivan to tie the game as they headed to the 6th inning. 

There, Smith and Chapel led off with back-to-back singles, Kiscadden advanced both runners and Tice drove them in with a deep ball that Corning’s centerfielder just missed making a play on, giving the Mounties a 6-4 lead that would hold up until the Hawks’ final at-bat. 

Sullivan drew Corning to within a run with a leadoff home run, but Tice came back and got a first-pitch fly out and then struck out the #5 batter. On a 2-0 pitch, Payton Chapel made a clutch play at first to get the final out and the win. 

Smith had a pair of base hits and scored two runs, while Litzelman had the homer, an RBI and a run scored. 

Kiscadden and Mckenna Lightner each had a double, with Kiscadden adding two RBI, and Tice, Chapel, Griess and Megan Spohn each with a base hit. Griess added an RBI and a run scored and Chapel scored once. 

The loss is just Corning’s second on the season, having dropped their season opener to 10-0 Vestal, while Liberty moves to 11-0.

The Mounties are scheduled to visit 2-5 Wellsboro on Tuesday.