The Lincoln Fighting Zebras will face off against the Liberty Ranch Hawks at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Lincoln 2.9, Liberty Ranch 3) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Lincoln is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They put the hurt on Mesa Verde with a sharp 25-7 win. The result was nothing new for the Fighting Zebras, who have now won 13 games by seven runs or more so far this season.
Landyn Plaut made a big impact no matter where he played. He pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Plaut was also big at the plate, going 3-for-5 with two runs and one RBI.
Brock Galer
| 05/06/25 vs Mesa Verde | 3 |
| 04/15/25 vs Woodland | 2 |
| 04/12/25 @ East Nicolaus | 2 |
| 03/19/25 vs Colfax | 2 |
| 04/06/24 vs Nevada Union | 2 |
In other batting news, Jackson Cook and Brock Galer did most of the damage at the plate: Cook got on base in all five of his plate appearances with three runs, one stolen base, and two RBI, while Galer went a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. Those three runs gave Galer a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Adriano Montes, who went 2-for-3 with three runs and two RBI.
Lincoln always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .711. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Liberty Ranch had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 5.5 runs) and they went ahead and made it three on Tuesday. They came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured an 8-7 W against the Cougars. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Hawks have posted since April 10th.
Like Lincoln, Liberty Ranch also got a great game from a two-way player: Vance Moe. On the mound, he struck out eight batters over six innings while giving up just one earned (and five unearned) runs off nine hits (and only one walk). Moe was also stellar in the batter's box, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI.
Moe wasn't the only one making solid contact as three players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Kade Lecompte, who went 1-for-2 with two RBI and one run. Nolan House was another, going 2-for-4 with two doubles, one run, and one RBI.
Lincoln is on a roll lately: they've won 11 of their last 14 matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 20-8 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.6 runs on average over those games. As for Liberty Ranch, their victory bumped their record up to 19-7-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Lincoln has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.4 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Liberty Ranch struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
