Preview: Liberty Ranch Hawks vs. El Dorado Cougars
Liberty Ranch is 9-1 against El Dorado since April of 2019, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Thursday. The Liberty Ranch Hawks will head out on the road to take on the El Dorado Cougars at 4:00 p.m. Liberty Ranch is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 6.1 runs per game this season.
Liberty Ranch was handed a 15-point loss in their previous outing, but they didn't let that bad energy affect their game against Galt on Tuesday. Liberty Ranch had just enough and edged Galt out 5-3. The win was just what Liberty Ranch needed coming off of a 17-2 defeat in their prior contest.
Vance Moe made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out nine batters over six innings while giving up three earned runs off five hits (and only one walk). Moe was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing three bases while going 2-for-3.
Moe wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Kade Lecompte, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-4. Lecompte has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive pitching appearances. Another player making a difference was Garrett Owen, who went 1-for-4 with two stolen bases and an RBI.
Meanwhile, El Dorado had already won four in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8.5 runs), and they went ahead and made it five on Tuesday. They blew past the Diamondbacks 13-3. The result was nothing new for El Dorado, who have now won six games by seven runs or more so far this season.
JJ Allen spent all six innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered three earned runs on five hits and racked up ten Ks.
On the hitting side, Cooper Williams was excellent, scoring two runs while going 2-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of Joe Parsons, who scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in two of his five plate appearances.
Liberty Ranch's record now sits at 5-2. As for El Dorado, their victory was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 8-2.
Thursday's matchup will pit two of the most dominant two-way players against one another: Lecompte and Allen. Lecompte has put up some stellar numbers this year, and currently owns excellent season averages has been strong no matter where he plays. On the mound, he has an ERA of .00 over 13.2 innings pitched. Meanwhile, at bat he has slashed 0.350/0.409/0.550 for 12 RBI. For his part, Allen has averaged has an ERA of 2.67 over 18.1 innings pitched.
Liberty Ranch took their win against El Dorado when the teams last played back in May of 2023 by a conclusive 10-2. The rematch might be a little tougher for Liberty Ranch since the squad 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
