The Casa Grande Gauchos will challenge the Liberty Lions at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are coming into the match red-hot, with Casa Grande sitting on 12 straight wins and Liberty on 14.
Casa Grande is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Wednesday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Livermore a 9-0 shutout. Considering the Gauchos have won nine contests by more than eight runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Lila Partridge was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out nine over seven innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in eight consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-4 with two RBI.
In other batting news, Alex Giacomini and Lauren Ketchu did most of the damage at the plate: Giacomini went 3-for-5 with one stolen base and two RBI, while Ketchu went 4-for-5 with two RBI and one run. That's the most hits Ketchu has posted since back in April of 2024. Maeve Broadhead was another key player, earning three runs and two stolen bases.
Casa Grande was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .410. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Livermore only posted a batting average of .087.
Meanwhile, Liberty hadn't done well against Foothill recently (they were 1-7 in their previous eight matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Wednesday. The Lions skirted past the Falcons 3-1.
Kate Skinner spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned run on five hits and racked up 11 Ks.
On the hitting side, Liberty's victory was truly a team effort as four different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Kelsie Skaggs, who went 2-for-3 with one RBI.
Liberty's win was their 14th straight at home, which pushed their record up to 22-5. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.1 runs on average over those games. As for Casa Grande, their win bumped their record up to 22-5-1.
Friday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Casa Grande hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .326. However, it's not like Liberty struggles in that department as they've averaged .387. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Casa Grande skirted past Liberty 1-0 when the teams last played back in April. Will the Gauchos repeat their success, or do the Lions have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
