Union Mine is 1-9 against Liberty Ranch since April of 2021 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Tuesday. The Union Mine Diamondbacks will be playing at home against the Liberty Ranch Hawks at 4:00 p.m. This will be Union Mine's first chance to prove their worth in the conference.
Union Mine is headed into Tuesday's matchup looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their fourth straight game dating back to last season on Monday. They were two runs away from ending the streak, but they lost a 5-3 heartbreaker at the hands of McClatchy.
Union Mine saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Kaylee Henkel, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Liberty Ranch, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Tuesday. They put the hurt on Kennedy with a sharp 12-2 victory last Friday. Considering the Hawks' hitters had been struggling lately, the high-scoring outing was a much-needed turnaround.
Laura Quinn spent all six innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and one unearned) run on seven hits and racked up seven Ks. Those seven strikeouts set a new season-high mark for her.
On the hitting side, Liberty Ranch got a massive performance out of Paityn Snow, who went 1-for-3 with one home run and four RBI. Those RBI were Snow's first of the season. Mariella Granata was another key player, scoring two runs while going 3-for-4.
Liberty Ranch was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .448. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.
Union Mine's loss dropped their record down to 0-3. As for Liberty Ranch, with the win, they broke their three-game losing streak and moved their record to 2-3.
Union Mine's speedy runners might be the difference in Tuesday's game. Union Mine has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.7 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Liberty Ranch, though, as they've been averaging only 1.2 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Union Mine continue to outrun the ball?
Union Mine took their victory against Liberty Ranch in their previous matchup back in May of 2024 by a conclusive 9-2. Will Union Mine repeat their success, or does Liberty Ranch have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
