Baseball Preview: Christian Liberty Chargers vs. South Beloit Sobos
The Christian Liberty Chargers will head out on the road to challenge the South Beloit Sobos at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Christian Liberty is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 6.4 runs per game this season.
Christian Liberty will head into Thursday's matchup out to bounce back: they came back down to earth on Thursday after soaring to a ten-point match in their last game. They fell just short of Schaumburg Christian by a score of 3-1. Having soared to a lofty 12 runs in the game before, Christian Liberty couldn't push the score so high this time.
Ricky Hartian put in work no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over four innings while giving up three earned runs off four hits. Hartian was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 1-for-2.
Hartian wasn't the only one making solid contact as three players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Logan Fritze, who went 1-for-2 with a double and an RBI.
Meanwhile, South Beloit can finally bid farewell to their ten-game losing streak dating back to last season thanks to their game on Thursday. They never let Alden-Hebron onto the board and left with a 3-0 win.
Like Christian Liberty, South Beloit also got a great game from a two-way player: Richard Carlson. On the mound, he kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 13 over five innings pitched. Carlson has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in four consecutive pitching appearances. Carlson was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 3-for-3.
Christian Liberty has not been sharp recently as the team has lost five of their last six games, which put a noticeable dent in their 3-8 record this season. As for South Beloit, their victory ended a seven-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 1-8.
South Beloit's pitching crew has a tough task ahead of them: Christian Liberty has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .457. It's a different story for South Beloit, though, as they've only averaged .320. Will they be able to contain Christian Liberty's hitters?
Everything went Christian Liberty's way against South Beloit in their previous matchup back in May of 2023 as Christian Liberty made off with a 21-6 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Christian Liberty since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
