Baseball Game Preview: Estacado Matadors vs. Liberty Patriots

The Estacado Matadors will square off against the Liberty Patriots at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Estacado will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each match than the last.

Last Tuesday, Estacado came up short against Snyder and fell 14-10.

Meanwhile, it may have taken nine innings to finish the job, but Liberty ultimately got the result they hoped for on Tuesday. They had just enough and edged out Levelland 11-10. The win was familiar territory for the Patriots, who have now won five games in a row.

Hudson Hefner looked comfortable as he pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances.

On the hitting side, Gavin McPherson was a standout: he went 3-for-5 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one triple. What's more, he posted two RBI, the most he's had since back in March. Another player making a difference was Will Hutson, who scored two runs while going 3-for-4.

Liberty hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least four strikeouts batters in 13 consecutive contests.

Estacado has been struggling recently as they've lost four of their last five matchups. That's put a noticeable dent in their 8-13-1 record this season. That patch can't be blamed on the team's hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 6.2 runs over those games. As for Liberty, they pushed their record up to 13-8 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road.

Estacado might still be hurting after the 15-5 defeat they got from Liberty when the teams last played back in March. Will the Matadors have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.