Liberty had lost six straight on the road, but on Tuesday they dropped down to 7-12 to make it seven. They fell just short of the Vista Ridge Wolves by a score of 9-7. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest defeat the Lancers have suffered since May 10, 2025.
Larz Raffleson was cooking despite his team's loss, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base. Another player making a difference was Eli Roberts, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one stolen base and one run.
As for Vista Ridge, they are on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 5-13 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.8 runs over those games.
On Vista Ridge's side, XyAire Borello made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He struck out seven batters over five innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off four hits. Borello is becoming a predictor of Vista Ridge's success: when he allows at most two earned runs the team is 3-1 (and 2-12 when he doesn't). Borello was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with two stolen bases, two RBI, and one run. What's more, he posted two hits, the most he's had since back in March.
In other batting news, Lucas Giles-Johnson was incredible, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, three runs, and one double. That's the most stolen bases he has posted since back in March. The team also got some help courtesy of Nick Martinez, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
While Liberty had to take the loss, they won't have to wait long to give it another shot: the pair's next game is a rematch scheduled at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday.
