Baseball Game Preview: Martin Luther Spartans vs. Catholic Memorial Crusaders

Martin Luther is 0-4 against Catholic Memorial since May of 2016 but things could change on Thursday. The Spartans will challenge the Crusaders at 7:30 p.m. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Martin Luther has three straight victories, Catholic Memorial has six straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.

Martin Luther will bounce into Thursday's matchup after beating St. Thomas More, who they had gone 0-9 against in their nine prior meetings. The Spartans were the clear victors by an 8-2 margin over the Cavaliers on Saturday. The Spartans might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 12 games by six runs or more this season.

Brendan Scheel

Runs Batted In (Career)

05/24/25 @ St. Thomas More	6
05/10/25 @ Milwaukee Lutheran	4
04/29/25 vs Shoreland Lutheran	4
04/16/25 vs Racine Lutheran/Prairie	4
05/24/25 @ St. Catherine's	3

Brendan Scheel was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits over four innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one home run, six RBI, and one double. Those six RBI gave him a new career-high.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Tino Pozos, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs. That's the most hits he has posted since back in April.

Meanwhile, Catholic Memorial fell victim to Arrowhead and their airtight pitching crew on Thursday. They lost 8-0 to the Warhawks.

Martin Luther's win was their sixth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 16-6. Those road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.8 runs over those games. As for Catholic Memorial, their loss dropped their record down to 8-18.

Catholic Memorial's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Martin Luther has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .445. It's a different story for Catholic Memorial, though, as they've only averaged .341. Will they be able to contain Martin Luther's hitters? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.