Liberty is 1-9 against Nicholas County since April of 2019 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Tuesday. The Liberty Raiders have the luxury of staying home for another game and will welcome the Nicholas County Grizzlies at 5:30 p.m. Both teams are strolling into their matches after big wins in their previous games.
Liberty put the finishing touches on their seventh blowout victory of the season on Monday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand PikeView a 16-0 shutout.
Maddie Cox made a big impact no matter where she played. She pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits (she also didn't allow any walks). Cox has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in four consecutive pitching appearances. Cox was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with three RBI and a double.
In other batting news, Josie Hartshorn and Katie Mullens did most of the damage at the plate: Hartshorn went 3-for-3 with three runs, a triple, and an RBI, while Mullens scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3. Hailey Brown was another key contributor, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 1-for-1.
Meanwhile, Nicholas County scored the most runs they've had all season to find success on Monday. They blew past Braxton County 15-0. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest win of the season.
Nicholas County let Makenzie Hanshaw and Chloe McKinney loose on the outfield. Hanshaw went 2-for-3 with two runs, a triple, and an RBI, while McKinney went 2-for-3 with four RBI, a run, and a double. The team also got some help courtesy of Myah Scott, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances.
Liberty pushed their record up to 7-3 with that victory, which was their third straight at home. They've been dominating during the contests in that stretch too, as they've won by an average of 9.7 runs. As for Nicholas County, the win got them back to even at 5-5.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. Liberty has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Nicholas County struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8. 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 match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other softball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
