Liberty and Pickens are an even 5-5 against one another since March of 2018, but likely not for long. The Red Devils will head out to face off against the Blue Flame at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday. Liberty is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.7 runs per game this season.
Liberty's pitching crew heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Thursday. They were the clear victors by a 7-0 margin over Berea. The Red Devils haven't had any issues with the Bulldogs recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive win against them.
Ethan Carroll
| 04/10/25 @ Berea | 4 |
| 04/01/25 vs Blacksburg | 3 |
| 03/11/25 @ Landrum | 3 |
| 03/28/25 @ Greenville Tech Charter | 2 |
| 03/08/25 vs Pendleton | 2 |
| + 4 more games |
Ethan Carroll was a standout: he scored a run and stole four bases while going 2-for-2. Liberty is 4-2 when Carroll posts two or more stolen bases, but 3-6 otherwise. Another player making a difference was T.J. Borow, who scored three runs and stole two bases while going 1-for-2.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Pickens). They walked away with a 13-9 victory over Liberty on Tuesday. Considering the Blue Flame's hitters had been struggling lately, the high-scoring outing was a much-needed turnaround.
Pickens let Jayden Ferguson and Maddex Freeman run wild. Ferguson got on base in all five of his plate appearances with two runs, one triple, and one double, while Freeman scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances. The dominant performance also gave Freeman a new career-high in RBI (two). Preston Scott also deserves some recognition as he hit his first triple of the season.
Pickens kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.
Liberty pushed their record up to 7-8 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. The road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.3 runs on average over those games. As for Pickens, their win bumped their record up to 5-11.
Liberty's speedy runners might be the difference in Saturday's contest. The Red Devils have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 5.6 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Pickens, though, as they've been averaging only 1.2 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Liberty continue to outrun the ball?
Liberty came up short against Pickens in their previous meeting on Tuesday, falling 13-9. Can the Red Devils avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
