Liberty outlasts Hofstra in Columbia Regional opener

The Flames (48-12) won their first regional game in the program’s third appearance (2002 and 2011), and the triumph over the 24th-ranked Pride is Liberty’s first over a Top 25 team under coach Dot Richardson.

DiMartino, a two-time Big South Conference pitcher of the year, improved to 28-7. The junior’s 10-inning complete game shutout marked the longest shutout victory in program history.

She escaped bases-loaded jams in the sixth and seventh innings and allowed four hits and two walks in her 151-pitch performance.

DiMartino threw 101 pitches for strikes and struck out seven to give her 219 for the season. That breaks Ali Thompson’s single-season program record of 218 that was set in 2003.

“Julia has been our go-to, our workhorse,” Richardson said.

Liberty advances into the winner’s bracket and faces the winner of South Carolina and UNC Greensboro at 1 p.m. Saturday.

McFarland (2 for 4) clubbed the second pitch she saw from Hofstra starter Sarah Cornell over the left-field wall to give the Flames a 1-0 lead. It was McFarland’s fifth homer of the season.

“It felt great and I was glad I was able to put a run on the board,” McFarland said.

“I was just trying my hardest to get her to swing and miss,” Cornell said, “and I feel like she was looking for that pitch and she just took it.”

Freshman outfielder Madison Via (Northside High) followed by lacing a line drive over the drawn-in outfield into the left-center field gap. The ball rolled to the wall and Via slid safely into third for a triple.

The triple chased Cornell (23-8), the Colonial Athletic Association pitcher of the year, who handcuffed the Flames for most of the game until the fourth time through the order.

Via (2 for 4) scored an insurance run when Pride catcher Kaitlyne Musa’s pick-off attempt went into left field.

The Pride (40-13) loaded the bases in the sixth and seventh innings, but had nothing to show for it on the scoreboard.

Sarah Edwards reached on a Jaclyn Amader fielding error in the sixth inning, but Taylor Hoffman robbed Courtney Scarpato of a hit with a running catch near the left-field line.

Michaela Transue drew a six-pitch walk to load the bases with one out in the seventh, but DiMartino was able to get Kristin Hallam to line out to second and Brielle Pietrafesa to ground out to short to end the inning.

Hofstra also had runners in scoring position in the fourth inning, but DiMartino worked out of that jam by getting Scarpato to pop out.

“We definitely had chances,” Transue said.

The Flames had only one run-scoring opportunity in the first seven innings and Autumn Bishop ran them out of the inning.

The first baseman drew a two-out walk and Amber Bishop followed with a hard grounder that deflected off Cornell’s glove into the middle of the infield.

Autumn Bishop rounded second base too far on the play and was caught in a rundown that resulted in her being tagged out for the inning’s final out before she could reach third base.