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When Jax State came to the plate in the first inning, it was brought to the umpires attention that Liberty’s starting pitcher was not on the 27-man roster that was turned in to the three-man crew prior to the start of the series on Friday, deeming the starting pitcher an ineligible player and the game ended in a forfeit in favor of the Gamecocks.
Source: Jax State Athletics
Photo: Courtesy Jax State Athletics
A little more than a week ago, the New Mexico State Aggies secured a series victory against the Liberty Flames in Lynchburg. NM State baseball emerged victorious in an 8-7 come-from-behind extra-inning win over Liberty on Sunday at Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium. With the victory, the Aggies clinched the series win against the Flames to tally their first Conference USA series win of the 2025 season.
After traveling to Las Cruces, the Flames took a single game from the Cavaliers of Virginia before they returned to Conference USA play. Like the NMSU series, Liberty’s three-game stretch with Jax State was aired on ESPN+, but the second game in the series turned out to be short-lived.
Jax State Athletics summarized the event: “After a tough setback on Friday night in the series opener, the Gamecocks were rewarded with a win via forfeit in the opening game of the twinbill. For conference weekends in CUSA, each team is to submit a 27-man roster for the entire series. When Jax State came to the plate in the first inning, it was brought to the umpires attention that Liberty’s starting pitcher was not on the 27-man roster that was turned in to the three-man crew prior to the start of the series on Friday, deeming the starting pitcher an ineligible player and the game ended in a forfeit in favor of the Gamecocks. Submitting a 27-man roster for conference weekends is standard across NCAA Division I college baseball.“
What a forfeit “Box Score” looks like
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jacksonville State | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The story was picked up by Sports Illustrated and the New York Post…
Liberty baseball team forced to forfeit after one pitch over embarrassing blunder (Sports Illustrated)
Liberty baseball team forced to forfeit after one pitch over embarrassing blunder (New York Post)
For the Gamecocks, all’s well that ends well. With the series even, it forced a rubber match of the series in Jacksonville, Jax State secured its first CUSA series with a 6-1 decision. The Gamecocks jumped on the scoreboard early with a two-out RBI double from junior Brady Thomas. Thomas carried the Jax State offense in the contest with a solo blast to extend the Gamecocks’ lead to start the sixth inning. The Flames plated their lone run of the day in the third after back-to-back two-out doubles. Those two doubles in the third were the only two hits surrendered by Jax State pitching on Saturday.
The Aggies will play Jax State in Las Cruces on April 17, 18 and 19. The games will be televised on ESPN+.
