The Mountain Empire Redhawks will square off against the Liberty Charter Lions at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Liberty Charter will be up against a hot Mountain Empire team: the squad just extended their winning streak to nine. The Redhawks put the hurt on Bayfront Charter with a sharp 39-3 win on Friday. The Redhawks' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Jakob Shawcroft was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, keeping things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out ten over four innings pitched. Those ten strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was even better at the plate, firing off three triples, five runs, and two stolen bases while going 6-for-6. He is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last four games he's played.
Luis Cardoso
| 05/02/25 vs Bayfront Charter | 5 |
| 04/17/25 @ Liberty Charter | 4 |
| 04/23/25 vs High Tech CV | 3 |
| 04/03/25 vs Crawford | 3 |
| 03/21/25 @ Borrego Springs | 3 |
In other batting news, Mountain Empire got a massive performance out of Luis Cardoso, who went 5-for-7 with five stolen bases, five runs, and three RBI. Those five hits gave Cardoso a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Cameron Leon, who got on base in four of his seven plate appearances with one home run, four runs, and two stolen bases.
Mountain Empire kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 27 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in 11 consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Liberty Charter gave up the first runs on Friday, but they didn't let that get them down. They blew past Ocean View Christian 15-2. The victory continues a trend for the Lions in their matchups with the Patriots: they've now won seven in a row.
Liberty Charter let Drake Keehl and Logan Hays run wild. Keehl went 2-for-4 with one home run, five RBI, and two runs, while Hays got on base in four of his five plate appearances with three runs, two RBI, and one double. Liberty Charter is 5-1 when Hays posts two or more runs, but 4-7 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Asher Johnson, who went 1-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Mountain Empire pushed their record up to 13-4 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 24.3 runs over those games. As for Liberty Charter, they now have a winning record of 9-8.
Tuesday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Mountain Empire hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .414. However, it's not like Liberty Charter struggles in that department as they've averaged .342. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Mountain Empire beat Liberty Charter 7-2 in their previous matchup back in April. Do the Redhawks have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Lions turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
