Softball Game Preview: Liberty Lions vs. Monte Vista Mustangs

The Liberty Lions will head out to face off against the Monte Vista Mustangs at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this matchup.

Liberty fought the good fight in their extra-innings contest against San Ramon Valley on Thursday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Wolves by a score of 3-2.

Kate Skinner

Batters Struck Out

03/04/25 @ Granada	6
02/25/25 vs Tracy	7
03/03/25 vs East Union	10
03/06/25 @ San Ramon Valley	12

Kate Skinner spent all eight innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and one unearned) run on three hits and racked up 12 Ks. Those 12 strikeouts set a new season-high mark for her.

On the hitting side, Liberty saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Taylor Jennings, who scored two runs while going 2-for-4.

Monte Vista had taken Carondelet down for three straight games at home, but that winning streak came to an end on Tuesday. Monte Vista fell 11-7 to Carondelet. Even though they lost, the Mustangs' still made a splash at the plate and bumped their average scoring up to 6.2 runs per game (they're now ranked -1th in scoring overall).

Sophia Leyden was cooking despite her team's loss, scoring two runs while going 2-for-3. Cece Kong also deserves some recognition as she got her first hit of the season.

Monte Vista's loss dropped their record down to 3-2. As for Liberty, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-2.

The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Liberty has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 11 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Monte Vista struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.2 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.

Liberty was able to grind out a solid win over Monte Vista in their previous matchup back in March of 2024, winning 7-4. The rematch might be a little tougher for Liberty since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.