Baseball Game Preview: Crystal Springs Uplands Gryphons vs. Harker Eagles

Crystal Springs Uplands is 0-10 against Harker since May of 2018 but things could change on Thursday. The Gryphons will welcome the Eagles at 4:00 p.m. Crystal Springs Uplands' pitching crew has only allowed 2.8 runs per game this season, so Harker's hitters will have their work cut out for them.

Tuesday just wasn't the day for Crystal Springs Uplands' offense. They lost 8-0 to South San Francisco on Tuesday. Having soared to a lofty 13 runs in the game before, the Gryphons' shutout was a dramatic turnaround.

Crystal Springs Uplands saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Connor Uchida, who went 2-for-3 with one double.

Harker never got on the board in their matchup on Thursday, but that sure wasn't the case in their game against Jefferson last Tuesday. They were the clear victors by a 15-6 margin over the Grizzlies. The win continues a trend for the Eagles in their matchups with the Grizzlies: they've now won eight in a row.

Shaurya Jain made a big impact no matter where he played. He pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Harker is undefeated when Jain allows one or fewer hits, but 1-6 otherwise. Jain was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.

In other batting news, Mason Brooks was incredible, scoring three runs and stealing three bases while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances. He has become a key player for Harker: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 2-6 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Ryan Pham, who scored three runs while going 2-for-5.

Harker was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .395. The last time their batting average was this high was back in May of 2024.

Crystal Springs Uplands' loss dropped their record down to 10-2. As for Harker, their victory bumped their record up to 5-6.

Crystal Springs Uplands couldn't quite finish off Harker in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 and fell 10-8. Can the Gryphons avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.