Baseball Game Preview: United Lions vs. Bishop McCort Crushers

The United Lions will challenge the Bishop McCort Crushers at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. United is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.5 runs per game this season.

United took a loss when they played away from home on Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Wednesday. They walked away with a 6-1 win over Conemaugh Valley. The Lions haven't had any issues with the Blue Jays recently, as the game was their third consecutive victory against them.

Brendan James made a splash while hitting and pitching. He didn't allow a single earned run while striking out 11 over seven innings pitched. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because United is undefeated when he allows at most one earned run, but 0-3 otherwise. James was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 3-for-4. He is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last three games he's played.

Ryan Felix

Doubles (Career)

04/09/25 vs Conemaugh Valley	2
04/04/25 @ Windber	1
05/08/24 @ Portage	1
04/30/24 @ Conemaugh Valley	1
04/25/24 @ Cambria Heights	1

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Ryan Felix, who scored two runs while going 2-for-4. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in doubles (two). Another player making a difference was Cole McGinnis, who went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases and one RBI.

United kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. They are 2-1 when they post 11 or more hits.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Bishop McCort). They put the hurt on Homer-Center with a sharp 11-1 win on Monday. The Crushers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won three contests by eight runs or more this season.

Bishop McCort pushed their record up to 3-2 with the victory, which was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.2 runs over those games. As for United, the victory got them back to even at 3-3.

United came up short against Bishop McCort in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, falling 9-4. Can the Lions avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.