The Liberty Ranch Hawks will face off against the Lincoln Fighting Zebras at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Liberty Ranch will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each contest than the last.
Liberty Ranch is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They won by a run and slipped past Escalon 8-7. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Hawks have posted since April 10th.
Vance Moe was a major factor no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out eight batters over six innings while giving up just one earned (and five unearned) runs off nine hits (and only one walk). Moe was also big at the plate, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. That's the most runs he has posted since back in April.
Moe wasn't the only one making solid contact as three players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Kade Lecompte, who went 1-for-2 with two RBI and one run. Another was Nolan House, who went 2-for-4 with two doubles, one run, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Lincoln). They were the clear victors by a 25-7 margin over Mesa Verde on Tuesday. Considering the Fighting Zebras have won 13 games by more than six runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Like Liberty Ranch, Lincoln also got a great game from a two-way player: Landyn Plaut. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Plaut was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-5 with two runs and one RBI.
In other batting news, Lincoln let Jackson Cook and Brock Galer run wild. Cook got on base in all five of his plate appearances with three runs, one stolen base, and two RBI, while Galer went a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. Mac Drennon also deserves some recognition as he hit his first triple of the season.
Lincoln always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .711. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Liberty Ranch is on a roll lately: they've won 17 of their last 20 matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 19-7-1 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.8 runs on average over those games. As for Lincoln, they pushed their record up to 20-8 with the win, which was their third straight at home.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Liberty Ranch has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Lincoln struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.4 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
