EARL WATT
• Leader & Times
The Liberal Redskins opened the 2025 season Friday in a double header against Blue Valley West, who crossed the state of Kansas for the inaugural games of the season, and the Redskins dropped both games.
Blue Valley opened the game with two runs against starting pitcher Skylar Hubbard in the first inning and loaded the bases in the bottom of the inning but couldn’t score a run and trailed 2-0.
Hubbard kept Blue Valley from scoring in the top of the second, and the Redskins took advantage of some walks in the second with a pair of hits to push four runners across the plate for a 4-2 lead.
But the Redskins struggled in the top of the third. Hubbard struggled with several walks while the Redskins committed errors in the field, and Blue Valley West started to pour in the runs.
Hubbard was relieved by Alex Schwindt, but he, too, struggled with location, and more walks led to more runs for the Jaguars. By the time the inning ended, Blue Valley West scored 12 runs and had a 14-4 lead.
The Redskins pushed Ethan Olmstead across the plate in the bottom of the third, but the Redskins couldn’t close the gap any further and trailed 14-5.
The Jaguars chased Schwindt off the mound in the top of the fourth by pushing six more runs across the plate to take a 20-5 lead. Liberal did not respond in the bottom of the inning and lost by run rule.
Landon Martinez led the Redskins with two hits, and Olmstead led the Redskins with two runs scored.
Marco Alonso got the start in Game 2 and was the first of four Redskin pitcher who tried to slow down the Jaguar bats.
Blue Valley West scored four in the first, two in the second and five in the third to take an 11-0 lead before the Redskins pushed two across the plate in the third.
The Jaguars added three in the fourth and four in the fifth, and Liberal scored four in the fourth but was shut out in the fifth for an 18-6 loss.
