Baseball Preview: Liberty Hurricanes vs. Nazareth Area Blue Eagles
The Liberty Hurricanes will head out on the road to face off against the Nazareth Area Blue Eagles at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Liberty's pitching crew has only allowed 2.6 runs per game this season, so Nazareth Area's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Liberty was handed a six-point loss in their previous outing, but they didn't let that bad energy affect their game against Easton Area on Monday. Liberty never let Easton Area onto the board and left with a 2-0 win. The victory was just what Liberty needed coming off of an 8-2 defeat in their prior contest.
Noah Gyauch-Quirk was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 15 over six innings pitched. Gyauch-Quirk has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in four consecutive pitching appearances. Gyauch-Quirk was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 2-for-2.
In other pitching news, Michael Mariano Jr. looked comfortable as he pitched an inning while giving up no earned runs or hits (he also didn't allow any walks). He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up a single hit in three consecutive pitching appearances.
Gyauch-Quirk wasn't the only one making solid contact as two players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Paul Erfle, who went 1-for-2 with an RBI.
Meanwhile, Nazareth Area put the finishing touches on their fourth blowout victory of the season on Tuesday. They put the hurt on Pleasant Valley with a sharp 13-3 win. That's two games straight that Nazareth Area has won by exactly ten runs.
Like Liberty, Nazareth Area also got a great game from a two-way player: Aidan Butz. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out eight batters over five innings while giving up three earned runs off three hits. Butz was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing three bases while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances.
In other pitching news, Landon Glovas looked comfortable as he pitched an inning while giving up no earned runs or hits (he also didn't allow any walks).
Back at the plate, David Bertz was incredible, going 2-for-3 with three runs, three RBI, and a triple. Another player making a difference was Matt Daems, who went 1-for-4 with four RBI, a stolen base, and a run.
Liberty's record is now 5-3. As for Nazareth Area, they are on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four games, which provided a nice bump to their 4-2 record this season.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. Liberty has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Nazareth Area struggles in that department as they've been averaging 10. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Everything went Liberty's way against Nazareth Area when the teams last played back in May of 2023 as Liberty made off with a 12-2 victory. Will Liberty repeat their success, or does Nazareth Area have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
