Softball Preview: Doherty Spartans vs. Liberty Lancers
Doherty has enjoyed the comforts of home their last ten games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will venture away from home to face off against the Liberty Lancers at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Doherty will be strutting in after a win while Liberty will be coming in after a loss.
Doherty headed into their last matchup having not scored more than two runs for three straight, but Palmer let them put that streak behind them. Doherty put the hurt on Palmer with a sharp 17-3 victory on Saturday. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest win the Spartans have posted since August 16, 2023.
Nana Saiz was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She struck out six batters over two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and only one walk). That's the most strikeouts she has posted since back in September of 2023. She was also big at the plate, scoring a run while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances.
In other batting news, Cayla Baker was incredible, going 3-for-3 with a home run, six RBI, and two runs. Maritza Enriquez was another key player, scoring three runs while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Doherty always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .867. That's a new trend for them: their average OBP was 31.6% earlier this season, but in their last five matches they've averaged 46.1%.
Meanwhile, Liberty unfortunately witnessed the end of their four-game winning streak on Tuesday. They lost 15-4 to Pueblo West. The Lancers have struggled against the Cyclones recently, as their contest on Tuesday was their third consecutive lost matchup.
Alex Graham was cooking despite her team's loss, going 2-for-3 with three RBI, a triple, and a run. The team also got some help courtesy of Selena Morales, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.
Doherty's victory ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 2-9. As for Liberty, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-5.
Doherty might still be hurting after the 16-1 loss they got from Liberty when the teams last played back in September of 2023. Can Doherty avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
