CHARLESTON, S.C. — The Citadel Bulldogs (1-1) edged out a 4-3 victory over Liberty (1-1) on Saturday afternoon at The Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park.

Aryan Patel broke the deadlock in the bottom of the eighth, ripping a double down the right-field line to score Jayden Williams. Patel, who advanced to third due to the play at the plate, scored following an error by the Flames' catcher.

The Bulldogs got on the board in the second with singles from Miles Barbrey and Carson Hodges, followed by Hodges' stolen base, which set the stage for Matthew Lively's two-RBI single.

Liberty attempted to rally in the top of the ninth, posting one run off a fielder's choice RBI from Tanner Marsh.

Michael Gibson picked up the win for The Citadel, tossing 4.0 innings with three hits allowed for a pair of runs while setting seven on strikes. Bryce Coulter opened the contest with 5.0 frames of work, surrendering two hits for one run while adding two strikeouts as well.

For the Flames, Jaxon Lucas logged 4.0 innings of work, giving up two runs on three hits with a trio of strikeouts. Tyler August notched 3.0 frames with just one hit allowed before Aydan Decker-Petty surrendered the game-winning pair of runs off just one hit during his 1.0 inning on the mound. 

The Citadel and Liberty are slated to wrap up the three-game series in a rubber match on Sunday, Feb. 15, first pitch scheduled for 11 am ET.