The Liberty-Benton Eagles will face off against the Defiance Bulldogs at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Defiance will be up against a hot Liberty-Benton squad: the team just extended their winning streak to seven. The Eagles blew past Pandora-Gilboa 7-1 on Wednesday.
Lexi Ebert spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned run on six hits and racked up eight Ks. She has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than two walks in eight consecutive appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Hayden Gillig, who went 3-for-4 with three stolen bases, three runs, and two RBI. That's the most stolen bases she has posted since back in April. Sydney Ruetz was another key player, going a perfect 4-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
Liberty-Benton was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .562. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .333 or higher in ten consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, after only two runs in their last match, Defiance made sure to put some runs up on the board against Bath on Tuesday. The Bulldogs were the clear victors by a 13-1 margin over the Wildcats. The victory was a breath of fresh air for the Bulldogs as it put an end to their three-game losing streak.
Addison Miller made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She didn't allow a single earned run while striking out nine over five innings pitched. Miller was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with two runs and one stolen base.
In other batting news, Bella Gutierrez was incredible, going a perfect 2-for-2 with three runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Elley Ward, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI and one run.
Liberty-Benton pushed their record up to 17-4 with the win, which was their ninth straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.4 runs over those games. As for Defiance, their win bumped their record up to 13-9.
