Flames surge into semifinals
The No. 2 seed Liberty Flames clinched their 40th victory of the season on Thursday, downing the No. 5 seed Louisiana Tech Bulldogs 6-0 in the opening round of the 2026 CUSA Baseball Championship.
Three of Liberty’s hitters launched home runs, with Kyle Hvidsten, Nick Barone and Josh Campos each adding a ball over the fence. Hvidsten’s sixth homer of the year, Barone’s team‑leading 12th, and Campos’s 11th‑run blast helped stake the Flames to an early lead.
Liberty’s pitching staff delivered a shutout, the first since March 29, as right‑hander Jake Potts closed out the game by blanketing the Bulldogs over the final 3 1/3 innings. Earlier, Aydan Decker‑Petty had stretched a scoreless streak to 10 innings across six relief appearances.
The Flames out‑hit Louisiana Tech 7‑6 while the Bulldogs committed the game’s only error, a miscue that proved costly. Second baseman Colton Coates paced all batters with three hits, but the Bulldogs could not recover.
A milestone chase
With the win, Liberty secures first place in Pool B at 2‑0 and moves on to tomorrow’s semifinals, where they will meet an opponent to be decided later this afternoon. The matchup is scheduled for either 11 a.m. or 2:30 p.m., a timing that could influence the championship narrative.
The victory marks the sixth time in program history that the Flames have reached the 40‑win plateau, underscoring the program’s sustained excellence. Nick Barone also logged his 20th multi‑hit game of the season, while the team’s overall record improves to 40‑??
Louisiana Tech finishes the tournament with a 38‑25 overall record, ending their run after a 0‑2 finish in Pool B. The Bulldogs will close the year reflecting on a season that saw them battle through a tight schedule but fall short of the semifinals.