Baseball Game Preview: Zion Christian Mountaineers vs. Tri-Unity Christian Defenders

For the second straight game, Zion Christian will face off against Tri-Unity Christian. The Mountaineers will head out to challenge the Defenders at 4:15 p.m. on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Zion Christian has five straight victories, Tri-Unity Christian has three straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.

On Tuesday, Zion Christian sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 6-4 win over Tri-Unity Christian.

Ian DeRuiter made a splash no matter where he played. He struck out nine batters over four innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off five hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one RBI. That's the most hits he has posted since back in March.

In other batting news, Alex Tuinstra was a standout: he went 2-for-3 with three RBI, two doubles, and one run. Those two doubles gave him a new career-high. Landon Doezema was another key player, going 2-for-3 with three stolen bases and two runs.

Zion Christian kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 4.8 hits per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 contests they've averaged 11.2.

Zion Christian's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 15-3. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.7 runs over those games. As for Tri-Unity Christian, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-4.