The Liberty Redhawks will venture away from home to face off against the Emerson Mavericks at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Liberty will be looking to extend their current six-game winning streak.
Emerson's hitters are going to have their work cut out for them on Thursday: Liberty hadn't allowed a single run the last four times they've hit the field. The Redhawks' pitcher stepped up to hand Memorial a 3-0 shutout on Tuesday.
Liberty saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Delila Bond, who went 1-for-3 with one triple and one run.
Meanwhile, after only two runs in their last match, Emerson made sure to put some runs up on the board against Centennial on Tuesday. The Mavericks were the clear victors by a 15-0 margin over the Titans. The result was nothing new for the Mavericks, who have now won nine contests by nine runs or more so far this season.
Addison Hudnall was a major factor no matter where she played. She struck out seven batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits (and not a single walk). She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in six consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with three RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Lauren Short, who scored four runs while going 4-for-4. Those four hits gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Amilee Stapp, who scored a run while going 2-for-2.
Emerson always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .733. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Emerson has been performing well recently as they've won seven of their last nine games. That's provided a nice bump to their 15-7-1 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.6 runs over those games. As for Liberty, their victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 14-5.
Thursday's match will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Liberty hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .356. However, it's not like Emerson struggles in that department as they've averaged .373. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Liberty might still be hurting after the 10-1 defeat they got from Emerson when the teams last played back in March. Can the Redhawks avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
