Liberty Baptist Academy hasn't had much luck against Indian Springs recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Knights will square off against the Thunderbirds at 12:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Liberty Baptist Academy is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. Their pitchers stepped up to hand Tonopah a 10-0 shutout. Winning may never get old, but the Knights sure are getting used to it with their 13th in a row.
Aiden Schmitz was incredible, getting on base in all three of his plate appearances with three stolen bases and three runs. The team also got some help courtesy of Bryce Miano, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs and one stolen base.
Meanwhile, Indian Springs put their dominant pitcher on display in the team's third consecutive shutout on Thursday. Everything went their way against Pahranagat Valley as they made off with a 10-0 win. Considering the Thunderbirds' hitters had been struggling lately, the high-scoring outing was a much-needed turnaround.
Adam Groeblinghoff made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run while striking out nine over six innings pitched. That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in April of 2024. He was also big at the plate, going 4-for-5 with two triples, two runs, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Indian Springs got a massive performance out of Jacob Gourley, who went 2-for-4 with five stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI. That's the most stolen bases Gourley has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Logen Blood, who went 2-for-3 with three stolen bases, two runs, and one double.
Indian Springs' victory was their eighth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 18-5. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.3 runs on average over those games. As for Liberty Baptist Academy, their victory bumped their record up to 18-4.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Liberty Baptist Academy has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 5.1 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Indian Springs struggles in that department as they've been averaging 10.5 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Liberty Baptist Academy suffered a grim 14-7 defeat to Indian Springs when the teams last played back in March. Can the Knights avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
