Liberty hasn't had much luck against Palo Verde recently, but that could start to change on Monday. The Patriots will venture away from home to square off against the Panthers at 3:30 p.m. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Liberty comes in on three and Palo Verde on 14.
Liberty proved they can win big on Wednesday (they won by eight) and on Thursday they proved they can win the close ones too. They never let Bakersfield Christian get on the board and left with a 1-0 victory. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Patriots have posted since March 21st.
Charlotte Crittenden
| 04/17/25 vs Bakersfield Christian | 1 |
| 04/14/25 vs Centennial | 2 |
| 04/10/25 @ Shadow Ridge | 0 |
| 04/08/25 @ Coronado | 2 |
| 04/02/25 vs Palo Verde | 2 |
The result came thanks to Charlotte Crittenden's shutout, as she gave up just six hits. She has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances.
Meanwhile, Palo Verde faced Shadow Ridge in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Wednesday. The Panthers were the clear victors by a 13-1 margin over the Mustangs. The result was nothing new for the Panthers, who have now won seven games by nine runs or more so far this season.
Ava Koenig and Haley Kearnes were major factors while hitting and pitching. Throwing, Koenig tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Meanwhile, Kearnes pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. At bat, Koenig went 2-for-3 with one home run and two runs, while Kearnes went 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI. Those two runs gave Koenig a new career-high.
In other batting news, Halle Law was incredible, firing off two home runs, three runs, and three RBI while going 3-for-3. Those two home runs gave her a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Kayleen Enriquez, who went 1-for-3 with two runs, two RBI, and one double.
Palo Verde was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .520. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their batting average total in three consecutive matches.
Palo Verde pushed their record up to 14-0 with the victory, which was their tenth straight at home dating back to last season. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.3 runs on average over those games. As for Liberty, their record is now 12-4-2.
Monday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Liberty hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .334. However, it's not like Palo Verde struggles in that department as they've averaged .416. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Liberty came up short against Palo Verde when the teams last played on April 2nd, falling 7-2. Can the Patriots avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
