The Perry Pumas will face off against the Liberty Lions at 3:45 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams are still undefeated (Perry has five wins , while Liberty has six dating back to last season).
Perry barely beat Sunnyslope the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. Perry never let Sunnyslope get on the board and left with a 6-0 victory on Monday. While the Pumas didn't have the best season last year (they finished 10-18), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.
Michael Orbegozo tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out eight over six innings pitched.
On the hitting side, Alex Lee was incredible, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Liberty). They blew past Tucson High Magnet School 16-0 on Monday. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest win of the season.
Liberty also got a great performance from Garrett Theile as he didn't allow a single earned run over five innings pitched.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Cody Croxford, who went 1-for-2 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. That home run was his first of the season. Another player making a difference was Bryce Wood, who scored two runs while going 1-for-1.
Liberty always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .618. The last time their OBP was this high was back in April of 2024.
Liberty pushed their record up to 6-0 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.5 runs on average over those games. As for Perry, their record is now 5-0.
Thursday's match will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Perry hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .410. However, it's not like Liberty struggles in that department as they've averaged .385. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Perry came up short against Liberty when the teams last played back in April of 2024, falling 3-0. Can Perry avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
