Liberty is 2-7 against Centennial since March of 2016 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Tuesday. The Patriots will be playing at home against the Bulldogs at 3:30 p.m.
Liberty is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Nevada's top teams: Sierra Vista, who was ranked 19th at the time (Liberty was ranked fourth). The Patriots fell just short of the Mountain Lions by a score of 7-6 on Thursday. The Patriots have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Rashaan Chavis made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and scored three runs while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was Cam Dahlgren, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one triple, one run, and one RBI.
For whatever reason, it's the away team that's had the advantage when Centennial and Palo Verde meet (three straight games heading into this one) and that held true again on Wednesday. The Bulldogs were the clear victors by a 12-3 margin over the Panthers. The result was nothing new for the Bulldogs, who have now won nine matchups by seven runs or more so far this season.
Jake Turner made a splash while hitting and pitching. He struck out six batters over six innings while giving up three earned runs off six hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in four consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Tyler Jackson, who fired off two home runs and five RBI while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. Those two home runs gave him a new career-high. Kobe Peterson was another key player, scoring two runs while getting on base in all five of his plate appearances.
Centennial kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in six consecutive games.
Centennial has been performing well recently as they've won seven of their last nine contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 14-7 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.6 runs over those games. As for Liberty, their defeat dropped their record down to 12-7.
Liberty beat Centennial 6-3 in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. Do the Patriots have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Bulldogs turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
