Softball Game Preview: Liberty Eagles vs. Meridian Mustangs

The Liberty Eagles will venture away from home to challenge the Meridian Mustangs at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.

On Tuesday, Liberty got the win against Handley by a conclusive 13-1. Considering the Eagles have won seven matchups by more than five runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.

Meanwhile, Meridian had to endure a six-game losing streak, but that streak is no more. Everything went their way against Warren County on Tuesday as they made off with a 12-2 victory. The Mustangs not only won on Tuesday, but they posted their biggest win since March 19th (when they won 17-3).

Elena Clark-Wilson made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 13 batters over five innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off three hits (and only one walk). She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts any time she's pitched this season. She was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with three stolen bases and two runs. Those three stolen bases gave her a new career-high.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Claire Hartenstein, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with three runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. That stolen base marked the first that she has snagged this season. Another player making a difference was Ellie Barba, who went 1-for-2 with two stolen bases and two runs.

Meridian hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Warren County struck out 13 times.

Liberty is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 9-7 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.8 runs on average over those games. As for Meridian, their record is now 6-14.

Liberty couldn't quite finish off Meridian in their previous matchup back in March and fell 3-1. Can the Eagles avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.