Each squad’s pitcher controlled the game early, as Troy’s Erinn Knapp held the Mounties hitless through three and a third innings and struck out six of the 10 batters she faced until Liberty’s Addie Smith singled to break up the Lady Trojans’ no-hitter. 

Liberty hurler Elyna Booth was also strong early .. striking out five Trojans through two and a third innings before giving up a double that proved harmless by Booth getting two groundouts to get out of the third inning. 

Troy would break the scoreless tie with a run in the bottom of the fourth, and after getting the Mounties out on a pair of groundouts and a fly out in the top of the fifth, the Trojans plated their final run in the bottom half. 

In the top of the sixth, Troy got a leadoff strikeout before hitting Maddie McNamara with a pitch, followed by a perfect bunt by Maddie Smith that gave the Mounties two baserunners for the first time in the game. Addie Smith flew out to right field but neither runner was able to advance, but Haley Litzelman came through with a huge single to right that scored McNamara and cut the lead in half .. 2-1.

Booth shut the Trojans down in the bottom of the sixth with her eighth and ninth strikeouts and a ground out and the Mounties went into their last at-bat down 2-1.

After a leadoff groundout, Booth was hit by a pitch and Elaina Shaw drew the Mounties’ lone walk of the game, folllowed by another Knapp K. Down to their last out, Liberty coaches Jason Chapel and Kyle Smith looked to their bench and sent Ava Giles up to the plate for just her second at-bat of the season. 

The senior sub proceeded to drill a 1-1 pitch back up through the middle to centerfield, scoring Booth’s pinch runner Addilyn Lehman to tie the game at 2-all and move the go-ahead run in Shaw to third base. Leadoff hitter Maddie Smith then broke the tie, singling to right field to score Shaw and give the Mounties a 3-2 lead.

Booth got an assist from third baseman Litzelman and got Troy’s seventh inning leadoff batter out on a bunt attempt, but then gave up a pair of singles. After grabbing a comeback pop-up for the second out, Booth went down 3-0 to Troy’s cleanup hitter, but worked her way back and earned the game-ending strikeout on the ninth pitch of the at-bat. 

Booth finished the seven inning-effort with 10 strikeouts and three walks, allowing Troy’s two unearned runs on six base hits. 

Maddie Smith had a pair of hits and an RBI while Litzelman and Giles each had a hit and an RBI, Addie Smith had a hit and Shaw and McNamara each scored a run. 

Liberty moves to 5-0 on the season with the win and it keeps them atop the large school standings along with unbeaten Athens, and also extends an impressive streak for the Mounties, who haven’t lost a regular season game since nearly the end of the 2022 season .. a 47-game run. 

The Mounties are scheduled to return to action Tuesday when they’ll look to take control of the league lead when they host Athens. 

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