For the first time this season, Mountain Empire will have a chance to prove themselves in a conference matchup. They will venture away from home to take on the Liberty Charter Lions at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Liberty Charter will be up against a hot Mountain Empire team: the squad just extended their winning streak to four. The Redhawks were the clear victors by a 14-7 margin over Calipatria on Saturday.
Michael Nobel
| 04/12/25 vs Calipatria | 4 |
| 04/10/25 vs Guajome Park Academy | 3 |
| 04/08/25 @ Guajome Park Academy | 3 |
| 04/01/25 @ Canyon Hills | 3 |
| 04/03/25 vs Crawford | 1 |
Michael Nobel and Jesse Arnold did most of the damage at the plate: Nobel scored four runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4, while Arnold scored three runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-4. Those four runs gave Nobel a new career-high. Javier Lopez was another key player, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with one RBI.
They weren't the only one making solid contact: Mountain Empire 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 in six consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Liberty Charter never let their opponents score on Monday. They put the hurt on Ocean View Christian with a sharp 14-0 win. The Lions haven't had any issues with the Patriots recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive victory against them.
Brody Harris made a big impact no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out 15 over seven innings pitched. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Liberty Charter is 3-1 when he allows at most one earned run, but 4-6 otherwise. Harris was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with four RBI, two runs, and one triple.
In other batting news, Liberty Charter got a massive performance out of Drake Keehl, who got on base in four of his five plate appearances with three runs, four RBI, and one double. The Lions are 5-1 when Keehl posts two or more runs, but 2-6 otherwise. Austin Otero also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
The win got Liberty Charter back to even at 7-7. As for Mountain Empire, their record now sits at 7-4.
Thursday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Mountain Empire hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .369. However, it's not like Liberty Charter struggles in that department as they've averaged .344. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Mountain Empire came out on top in a nail-biter against Liberty Charter in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, sneaking past 6-5. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Redhawks since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
