The Livingston Lions faced the Liberty Panthers Friday night, looking for the series sweep after beating the Panthers 10-0 Tuesday night in Liberty.
They found it in a closer 4-1 contest in Livingston, where neither team scored through four frames.
Both teams labored through four innings, unable to get anything going offensively. Liberty got a hit in the second, but the inning ended two pitches later, when the Lions turned a 4-6-3 double play.
With no score until the bottom of the fifth, Lion catcher Jake Young led off the inning with a triple in the right-center gap. Then, with two outs, Rudy Marquez laid down a bunt and an error by the Panther first baseman allowed Young to score. A passed ball by the catcher let Marquez advance to second. Braxton Smith singled to right field, putting runners on first and third. The Lions pulled a double steal, scoring Marquez to put Livingston up 2-0 after five innings.
Livingston started the bottom of the sixth inning with back-to-back walks, followed by Roper Wood hitting a stand-up double, knocking in two more runs, to provide a 4-0 lead.
In the top of the seventh, the Panthers hit a single and double, scoring their lone run of the week. That wasn’t enough, as the Lions swept the series against Liberty with the 4-1 win.
Karter Nelson was outstanding on the mound for Livingston. He pitched a complete game, going seven innings and allowing a run on three hits and no walks, while striking out nine batters. Roper Wood went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs, and Jake Young went 1-for-3 with a triple and a run.
The win gives the Lions a 2-0 record in district and a 12-4 record for the season. Their next district games are against the Shepherd Pirates on March 24 at home and March 27 in Shepherd.
