Softball Game Preview: Canterbury Crusaders vs. Bradenton Christian Panthers

Canterbury is a perfect 6-0 against Bradenton Christian since March of 2019 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Tuesday. The Crusaders will be playing at home against the Panthers at 6:00 p.m. Canterbury will be strutting in after a win while Bradenton Christian will be coming in after a defeat.

Canterbury headed into their last game having not scored more than two runs for four straight, but Indian Rocks Christian let them put that streak behind them. The Crusaders came out on top against the Eagles on Tuesday by a score of 12-2 (the very same score they lost by in their prior game). The Crusaders haven't had any issues with the Eagles recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive victory against them.

Kaylah Berta

Batters Struck Out

04/08/25 vs Indian Rocks Christian	9
04/05/25 vs Cooper City	6
03/28/25 vs Waverly Central	8
03/25/25 @ Bradenton Christian	10

Kaylah Berta made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out nine batters over five innings while giving up just two earned runs off one hit (and only one walk). She has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in four consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with one triple and two RBI. That triple marked the first that she hit this season.

In other batting news, Kenzie Tucker was a standout: she scored three runs and stole five bases while going 2-for-3. That's the most runs she has posted since back in April of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Cali Baust, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 3-for-4.

Canterbury was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .393. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Indian Rocks Christian only posted a batting average of .062.

Meanwhile, Bradenton Christian was not able to break out of their rough patch on Monday as the team picked up their third straight loss. They came up short against Inspiration Academy, falling 11-2.

Bradenton Christian saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Brenna Funderburke, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.

Bradenton Christian's defeat dropped their record down to 4-9. As for Canterbury, their win bumped their record up to 5-11.

Canterbury was able to grind out a solid victory over Bradenton Christian when the teams last played back in March, winning 8-4. Do the Crusaders have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Panthers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.