Baseball Game Preview: Eldred Yellowjackets vs. Liberty Indians

The Eldred Yellowjackets will head out on the road to challenge the Liberty Indians at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams have had a bumpy ride up to this point with seven consecutive losses for Eldred and three for Liberty.

The home team had come away the winner the last five times Eldred and Chapel Field Christian had met, but sadly for the fans who attended this one that wasn't the case. The Yellowjackets fell just short of the Lions by a score of 7-6 on Wednesday.

Jayson Banach was huge no matter where he played even without the win. He tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two hits in six consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three stolen bases, three runs, and one double.

In other batting news, Jacob Tice was cooking despite his team's loss, going 1-for-3 with one home run and two runs. That home run was his first of the season.

Port Jervis hit Liberty with a seven-run second inning on Tuesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Indians came up short against the Red Raiders, falling 13-2. That's two games in a row now that the Indians have lost by exactly 11 runs.

Justin Simon made the most of his time in the batter's box despite the final result and went 2-for-3 with two doubles and one run.

Eldred's record is now 1-7. As for Liberty, their record now sits at 2-6.

The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Eldred has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Liberty struggles in that department as they've been averaging 2.9 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.

Eldred got the 'W' in their previous meeting back in April of 2025 against Liberty by a conclusive 13-5 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Yellowjackets since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.