The James Monroe Mavericks will head out on the road to challenge the Liberty Raiders at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. James Monroe is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.1 runs per game this season.
Having struggled with three losses in a row, James Monroe turned things around against Greenbrier West on Thursday. They came out on top against the Cavaliers by a score of 6-2.
Peyton Gardinier
| 03/22/25 @ Summers County | 3 |
| 04/24/25 @ Greenbrier West | 2 |
| 04/18/25 vs Liberty | 2 |
| 04/03/25 @ Summit Christian Academy | 2 |
| 04/02/25 vs Bluefield | 2 |
| + 3 more games |
Peyton Gardinier and Bodie Zickefoose made a big impact no matter where they played. On the mound, Gardinier didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit over six innings pitched. Meanwhile, Zickefoose tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in eight consecutive appearances. At bat, Gardinier went 2-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and one double, while Zickefoose got on base in two of his four plate appearances with one stolen base and one run. James Monroe is undefeated when Gardinier posts two or more runs, but 6-10 otherwise.
In other batting news, Kadyn Hines was incredible, going 2-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Cameron Crislip, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one home run and one stolen base.
James Monroe lost a few balls and finished the game with two home runs. That's the most home runs they've posted since the start of last season.
Meanwhile, after only one run in their last contest, Liberty made sure to put some runs up on the board against Van on Tuesday. The Raiders blew past the Bulldogs 15-7. The result was nothing new for the Raiders, who have now won four matches by eight runs or more so far this season.
Liberty pushed their record up to 6-5 with the win, which was their third straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.7 runs over those games. As for James Monroe, they now have a winning record of 11-10.
James Monroe came out on top in a nail-biter against Liberty when the teams last played on Friday, sneaking past 7-6. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Mavericks since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
