Liberty Flames left fielder Nick Barone hit three home runs and drove in six runs to help lead his team to a 17-7 victory over the Duke Blue Devils on April 14 at Jack Coombs Field in Durham, North Carolina.
Barone’s performance marked the first time a Liberty player has hit three home runs in a game since 2022. He now leads the team with eight home runs this season. The Flames scored five home runs overall during the game, matching their season high.
After Duke tied the game at 7-7 in the fourth inning, Liberty responded by scoring ten unanswered runs. Center fielder Josh Campos contributed with three hits, including his seventh home run of the year and three RBI. Catcher Kyle Hvidsten also had a strong night, going two-for-two with a walk, two RBI and four runs scored. Hvidsten and Campos hit back-to-back home runs in the second inning.
The win brings Liberty’s record to 26-10 for the season and marks their eleventh win out of their last twelve games. Duke drops to 22-17 after Tuesday’s contest. Reliever Jackson Evans earned his second win of the year for Liberty while Drew Bryan took the loss for Duke.
The teams will meet again next Tuesday at Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium. Looking ahead, Liberty will continue its road trip with a Conference USA series against Dallas Baptist Patriots starting Friday at Horner Ballpark.
