Austerman’s triples help St. Joe upset Liberty

Junior shortstop Kali Austerman broke a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the sixth inning, lifting Port St. Joe to a 3-2 win over visiting Liberty County on St. Patrick’s Day and giving Lissa Walker her 701st career victory as a softball coach. 

In the bottom of the first, Austerman had tripled in Addy Creekmore to give the Tiger Sharks a 1-0 lead,  but the Bulldogs tied the game with a run of their own in the second. 

St. Joe reclaimed the lead in the third, courtesy of Austerman’s sacrifice fly to drive in Creekmore, but Liberty County knotted the score in the fifth. 

In the Tiger Shark sixth, Austerman led off with her second triple of the game, and four batters later with the bases loaded, freshman outfielder Bre Fleming’s grounder handcuffed the Bulldog first baseman long enough for Austerman to score. 

Brooklyn Bishop earned the win for the Sharks, who evened their season record at 5-5 with the win.