Box Score JACKSONVILLE—Jax State had a tough start to its Conference USA weekend series with Liberty on Friday night in a 3-0 loss.
 
Liberty (25-6), ranked 22^nd in the USA Softball Top 25, racked up nine hits and got a dominant pitching performance to take the opening game of the series.
 
MacKinley Portillo retired six of the first seven she faced with a pair of strikeouts. The bottom of the order for the Flames got the offense going in the top of the third with a single up the middle and a two-run, two-out homer by Rachel Roupe to give Liberty the first runs of the game.
 
Portillo gave up two earned runs on five hits over five innings of work with a pair of strikeouts and no walks to fall to 5-3.
 
Roupe also singled to lead off the sixth and came around to score on a two-out single up the middle by Brooke Roberts.
 
For Jax State (20-10), the only baserunner once through the lineup was on a walk to Haleigh Cushingberry, who was thrown out trying to steal second to end the third.
 
Morgan Nowakowski's one out single to right in the fourth was Jax State's only hit of the game, but was left stranded there after back-to-back strikeouts by Elena Escobar who retired the last 11 hitters she faced.
 
In the seventh, the Gamecock defense came up big to keep the deficit at three when the Flames had runners at first and third and attempted a double steal but a great throw by shortstop Aria Davis back home kept the run from scoring.
 
The series continues Saturday with a first pitch scheduled for noon at Jana McGinnis Field.