The Caruthers Blue Raiders will take on the Liberty Hawks at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The last three games Caruthers has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.
Friday just wasn't the day for Caruthers' offense. They fell just short of Riverdale by a score of 2-0 on Friday. The shutout was out of character for the Blue Raiders seeing as the last time the team failed to score was back in March.
Caruthers saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Uriel Reyes, who went 1-for-3 with one double.
For whatever reason, it's the away team that's had the advantage when Liberty and Sierra meet (four straight games heading into this one) and that held true again on Friday. The Hawks blew past the Chieftains 11-1. Considering the Hawks have won eight contests by more than six runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Damian Sandate made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out ten batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned run off five hits. Liberty is 5-2 when Sandate allows one or fewer earned runs, but 7-12 otherwise. Sandate was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with two RBI and one run.
In other batting news, Nicola Cercone and Carson Groh did most of the damage at the plate: Cercone got on base in four of his five plate appearances with four runs and two doubles, while Groh got on base in four of his five plate appearances with two stolen bases, three runs, and one double. Groh has become a key player for Liberty: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two stolen bases, but 9-14 otherwise. Deegan Shandor was another key player, going 2-for-4 with three RBI and two doubles.
Liberty has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 12-14 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.5 runs over those games. As for Caruthers, their defeat ended a five-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 16-11.
Caruthers suffered a grim 11-1 defeat to Liberty in their previous matchup back in May of 2025. Will the Blue Raiders have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
