LYNCHBURG, Va. – Riding the wave of a strong relief appearance in Charleston Southern's early-Friday 8-5 win over Maine, Annah Junge assumed the starting pitching role in the night cap against host Liberty and went the distance in a strong 3-0 shutout to lead the Buccaneers' softball program to another win at the Liberty Softball Classic in Lynchburg, Virginia.

DOMINANCE IN THE CIRCLE
Junge's arm kept her Charleston Southern (5-6) squad in it, as she struck out two and gave up just seven hits, only one of extra bases, while facing 28 batters in her second complete game of the campaign. Combined with her five-strong relief innings against Maine, she lowered her ERA to 1.83 this season with a team-best 4-2 record in the circle.

DEFENSE TURNS TWO TO GET OUT OF INNINGS
Behind Junge the Bucs turned a pair of double plays to get out of end-of-inning jams. The first came in the bottom of the fourth, as a line drive to third baseman Lexi Markle was immediately thrown across the diamond to first baseman Lilly Bishop, leaving a runner stranded on second.

The other double play came in the game's final sequence as another liner, this time to second baseman Madison Koger, who then doubled up the Liberty (6-6) base runner on first by throwing to the near-side base to end the contest.

THROWN OUT AT HOME
It wasn't just double plays that helped preserve the shutout, as an inning-ending relay throw beat a runner coming home. After a fielding error by Ashley Meckley at shortstop, she stayed with the ball and quickly turned it into a positive, firing a throw to the plate and catcher Gracie Prince to beat a lead runner from third base to close the second inning.

LEWIS OFFENSIVE STANDOUT
Raleigh Lewis did most of the heavy lifting for CSU at the plate, slugging a second inning lead off home run, her team-lead tying second of the campaign, to center field to give the visitors a 1-0 edge in the early frames.

In the fifth, when the Buccaneers added their other two runs, Lewis was again in the mix. Meckley had reached base on a single, working her way eventually over to third on a ground out and a throwing error. The error put Prince on first. With runners on the corners, Bishop singled to left field, moving each a base and bringing Meckley home for the 2-0 edge. Lewis immediately followed as the next batter, driving a single up the middle, again advancing each runner a base, which allowed Prince to score all the way from second to build the final cushion.

TOURNAMENT PLAY CONTINUES SATURDAY
Day two of the Liberty Softball Classic concludes Saturday with Charleston Southern meeting George Washington in a doubleheader to open the action. The first contest is slated for a 10 a.m. start with the next follow 30 minutes after its conclusion.