Liberty has not done well against Nicholas County recently (they were 1-8 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Friday. The Liberty Raiders narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past the Nicholas County Grizzlies 7-6. This was a revenge match for Liberty, as the team was forced to settle for a 7-3 loss when these two played last Tuesday.
Josie Hartshorn was incredible, going 2-for-4 with a home run, two runs, and a triple. Another player making a difference was Katie Mullens, who scored a run and stole a base while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances.
On Nicholas County's side, Cambria Neal spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered four earned (and three unearned) runs on six hits and racked up nine Ks. Neal has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't pitched less than five innings in eight consecutive pitching appearances.
At the plate, Myah Scott was cooking despite her team's loss, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-4. The team also got some help courtesy of Zoe Nash, who scored a run while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.
Even though they lost, Nicholas County didn't let batters stay on the plate for long and finished the game with nine strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Liberty only tossed three.
Liberty pushed their record up to 9-6 with that win, which was their third straight on the road. As for Nicholas County, they are on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 6-8.
Liberty will be playing in front of their home fans against Wyoming East at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. Liberty is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 8.1 runs per game this season. As for Nicholas County, they will head out on the road to challenge Chapmanville Regional at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Chapmanville Regional's pitching crew has only allowed 1.8 runs per game this season, so Nicholas County's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
