Liberty Upsets Lady Eagles

    ROCK HILL, SC- Fifth-seeded Liberty upset the fourth-seeded Winthrop Eagles 2-1, Friday evening in the opening round of the McAlister’s Deli 2002 Big South Conference Championships.

     Trailing 1-0, Liberty (25-33) scored two runs in the fifth inning and then held on for the victory. Tiffany Johnson led off the inning with a single and eventually came around to tie the game on a wild pitch. Then Cassie Campbell scored the go ahead run on a sacrifice fly by Amanda Maska.

     In the fourth, Winthrop (20-25) scored on an RBI single to center by Megan Young. It looked as if Winthrop had taken a 2-0 lead when Katy Agee tagged up and scored on a sacrifice fly by Shannon Vincent, but Liberty head coach Paul Wetmore appealed that Agee left early and she was called out.

     Jennifer Hurley tossed a complete game and allowed one run on seven hits with two walks and four strikeouts to capture the win. Her counterpart Johnson tossed a complete game also and allowed two runs (no earned) on seven hits with one walk and three strikeouts.

     Lauren Hahn and Maska each finished with two hits for Liberty. Winthrop’s Katie Kipisz and Agee each had two hits.

     Liberty advances to the winner’s bracket to take on Coastal Carolina, the top seed of the tournament, and Winthrop will face Elon in the loser’s bracket at 1 p.m.