Sunnyslope hasn't had much luck against Liberty recently, but that could start to change on Wednesday. The Sunnyslope Vikings will square off against the Liberty Lions at 3:45 p.m. After the two teams made easy work of their previous opponents, one won't be so lucky on Wednesday.
Sunnyslope barely beat Willow Canyon the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. Sunnyslope put the hurt on Willow Canyon with a sharp 8-1 victory on Monday. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Vikings.
Bryan Mares spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered a run (which was unearned) on four hits and racked up six Ks. Furthermore, he didn't allow a single earned run, the first time he has blanked an opponent since back in March of 2024.
At the plate, Jake Woods was excellent, scoring a run and stealing Two bases. while going 1-for-2. Matthew Workman also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
Meanwhile, Liberty put another one in the bag on Tuesday to keep their perfect season alive. They blew past Cesar Chavez 11-5. The result was nothing new for the Lions, who have now won five matches by six runs or more so far this season.
Jaeden Parks and Garrett Theile dominated on the mound. Parks tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit, while Theile struck out six batters over five innings while giving up four earned runs off eight hits (and not a single walk). What's more, Parks posted three strikeouts, the most he's had since back in April of 2024.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Cody Croxford, who went 2-for-3 with one home run and six RBI. He is on a roll when it comes to home runs, as he's now launched at least one in each of the last three games he's played. Braden Watson was another key player, scoring three runs while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances.
Liberty kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits every time they've taken the field this season.
Liberty's win was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 8-0. As for Sunnyslope, their record is now 3-5.
Sunnyslope couldn't quite finish off Liberty in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 and fell 6-4. Can Sunnyslope avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
