Union Mine hasn't had much luck against Liberty Ranch recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Diamondbacks will take on the Hawks at 3:30 p.m. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Union Mine was handed a nine-run loss in their previous outing, but that didn't affect their clutch gene on Tuesday. They narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past El Dorado 8-6.
Madison Matlack spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered five earned (and one unearned) runs on five hits.
At the plate, Jillian Niles and Ruby Luce did most of the damage at the plate: Niles went 2-for-3 with one triple, one stolen base, and two RBI, while Luce scored two runs and stole three bases while going 1-for-2. That's the most RBI Niles has posted since back in May of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Bella Sebastian, who went 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Liberty Ranch). Their pitcher stepped up to hand Galt a 30-0 shutout on Tuesday. The Hawks have beaten the Warriors the last eight times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Warriors has come to flipping the script.
Paityn Snow was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out seven over five innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in nine consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 4-for-5 with four runs, five RBI, and one triple.
In other batting news, Liberty Ranch got a massive performance out of Mariella Granata, who scored six runs and stole two bases while going 5-for-5. Khali Barrantes was another key player, scoring six runs and stealing four bases while getting on base in four of her six plate appearances.
Liberty Ranch kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 26 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.
Liberty Ranch's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 8-5. The road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for Union Mine, their victory ended a six-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 2-6.
Union Mine suffered a grim 11-2 defeat to Liberty Ranch in their previous meeting on Monday. Can the Diamondbacks avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
