Baseball Game Preview: James Monroe Mavericks vs. Liberty Raiders

The James Monroe Mavericks will challenge the Liberty Raiders at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. James Monroe is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.2 runs per game this season.

On Wednesday, James Monroe beat Princeton 7-4. The win continues a trend for the Mavericks in their matchups with the Tigers: they've now won three in a row.

Peyton Gardinier

Earned Runs

03/27/25 @ Princeton	2
04/12/25 vs Graham	1
04/02/25 vs Bluefield	1

Peyton Gardinier made a splash while hitting and pitching. He tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because James Monroe is 4-1 when he allows at most one earned run, but 5-6 otherwise. Gardinier was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with one stolen base and two RBI.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Cameron Crislip, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases and three runs. That's the most runs he has posted since back in May of 2024.

Meanwhile, Liberty waltzed into their matchup on Thursday with two straight wins... but they left with three. Everything went their way against River View as they made off with a 10-2 victory. The result was nothing new for Liberty, who have now won three games by eight runs or more so far this season.

James Monroe's win bumped their record up to 9-7. As for Liberty, their victory bumped their record up to 5-3.

James Monroe took their win against Liberty in their previous meeting back in April of 2019 by a conclusive 15-5 score. Do the Mavericks have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Raiders turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.