The Liberty Ranch Hawks will challenge the Casa Roble Rams at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Liberty Ranch is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They were the clear victors by a 13-3 margin over Sutter. Winning may never get old, but the Hawks sure are getting used to it with their 13th in a row.
Laura Quinn spent all six innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and two unearned) runs on five hits. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 17 consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Liberty Ranch got a massive performance out of Bella Granata, who got on base in all four of her plate appearances with two runs, one triple, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Paityn Snow, who went 3-for-4 with four RBI, two runs, and one double.
Liberty Ranch was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .419. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .355 or higher in four consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Casa Roble never let their opponents score on Friday. They blew past Hughson 8-0. The victory was nothing new for the Rams as they're now sitting on three straight.
The result came thanks to Cassandra Alvarez's shutout, as she gave up just three hits and racked up six Ks.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Gianna Giannini, who went 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI. That's the most stolen bases she has posted since back in April. Zaria Gee was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double.
Liberty Ranch pushed their record up to 19-5 with the win, which was their tenth straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.7 runs over those games. As for Casa Roble, their record is now 17-6-1.
Tuesday's contest might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Liberty Ranch has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .476. However, it's not like Casa Roble struggles in that department as they've averaged .511. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Liberty Ranch skirted past Casa Roble 6-5 when the teams last played back in May of 2019. Will the Hawks repeat their success, or do the Rams have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
