The Liberty Flames baseball team defeated the Sam Houston Bearkats 10-4 on May 21 in their opening game of the 2026 Conference USA Baseball Championship at Mickey Dunn Stadium in Kennesaw, Georgia.
The victory gives Liberty a strong start in Pool B play and secures them a spot in Saturday’s semifinals. The win also puts the Flames one win away from becoming only the sixth team in program history to reach 40 wins.
Liberty broke open a close contest with four runs in the sixth inning, highlighted by designated hitter Landon Scilley’s second RBI single and catcher Kyle Hvidsten’s three-run home run over center field. Hvidsten’s homer was his fifth of the season and extended Liberty’s lead to 6-1. Sam Houston narrowed the gap to three runs late, but Liberty responded with another four-run rally in the ninth inning, including a three-run home run by left fielder Nick Barone.
Right-hander Ben Blair, named CUSA Pitcher of the Year for 2026, allowed just one unearned run on three hits over six innings to earn his seventh win of the season. Barone had three hits—including his team-leading eleventh home run—three RBI, and scored three times. Third baseman Jordan Jaffe also collected three hits for Liberty.
With this result, Liberty moves to a record of 39-18 overall and stands at 1-0 in Pool B play. Sam Houston completes Pool B play with a record of 25-33 overall and finishes pool play at 1-1.
Liberty will next face No.5 seed Louisiana Tech Bulldogs tomorrow morning at Mickey Dunn Stadium as they continue their pursuit of a championship berth.
