The Liberty Patriots will be playing at home against the Palo Verde Panthers at 3:30 p.m. on Friday. Liberty is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 7.2 runs per game this season.

Liberty is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Nevada's top teams: Palo Verde, who was ranked fifth in their home state at the time (Liberty was ranked 17th). Liberty skirted past Palo Verde 6-5. The win made it back-to-back victories for Liberty.

For Palo Verde's part, Drew Kaplan was huge while hitting and pitching even without the win. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over 3.1 innings while giving up no earned run off one hit (and only one walk). Kaplan has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive pitching appearances. Kaplan was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two RBI.

In other pitching news, Mayson Reichartz was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he struck out eight batters over 5.2 innings while giving up four earned (and one unearned) runs off three hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't pitched less than five innings in five consecutive pitching appearances.

Back at the plate, Jace Jefferies made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and scored two runs and stole four bases while going 2-for-4. Another player making a difference was Tanner Johns, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-4.

Even though they lost, Palo Verde didn't let batters stay on the plate for long and finished the game with 14 strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Liberty only tossed ten.

The win got Liberty back to even at 13-13. As for Palo Verde, they have traveled a rocky road recently having lost four of their last five matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 15-10 record this season.

Friday's match might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Liberty has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .445. However, it's not like Palo Verde struggles in that department as they've averaged .455. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.

Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps