Liberty downs Wildcats in district opener

TOBY ELLIOTT LIBERTY - The Blacksburg baseball team will fight for its playoff survival this weekend after a 5-2 loss to Liberty on Thursday.

Blacksburg travels to face Ninety-Six on Saturday at 6 p.m. in the district playoffs. The winner will get another playoff game on Monday.

Blacksburg took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on an RBI single by Dustin Byars and a sacrifice fly by Chase Norman.

Leadoff batter Ashby Pruitt was hit by a pitch and advanced to second on a single by Will Raines.

Pruitt scored the Wildcats' first run on Norman's sacrifice.

After a double by Brent Humphries, Byars lined a single to score Raines.

Liberty's Matt Whitworth hit a 2-run homer off Byars to tie the game at 2 in the first.

Liberty added single runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings.

Byars was the starting pitcher for Blacksburg, giving up four runs in five innings of work. Norman came on in relief and finished the game.

Timely hitting proved to be the difference in the game.

Liberty had 12 hits while Blacksburg could only manage six hits in the contest.

Blacksburg had a runner on third with one out in the second inning, but could not score.

The Wildcats were unable to convert a bases loaded situation in the fifth inning and had runners in scoring position in two other innings but couldn't cut into the deficit.

"We couldn't get the timely hit when we needed it," Blacksburg baseball coach Toby Elliott said. "Hopefully, we can bounce back against Ninety-Six on Saturday."