The Lincoln Christian Crusaders will venture away from home to challenge the Raymond Central Mustangs at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Lincoln Christian is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.7 runs per game this season.
Lincoln Christian took a loss when they played away from home on Monday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They had just enough and edged out Fort Calhoun 3-2.
Grant DeHaan
| 05/02/25 vs Fort Calhoun | 7 |
| 04/28/25 @ Central City/Centura | 0 |
| 04/26/25 vs Lincoln Northwest | 1 |
| 04/22/25 vs Gross Catholic | 2 |
| 04/08/25 vs Malcolm | 5 |
| + 10 more games |
Grant DeHaan made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over six innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits. That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in April of 2024. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with two runs, one double, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Ian Brester was excellent, going 2-for-4 with one triple, one stolen base, and one run. That triple was his first of the season.
Meanwhile, Raymond Central suffered their biggest loss since April 8th on Tuesday. They came up short against Malcolm, falling 12-1. The Mustangs have struggled against the Clippers recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive lost meeting.
Raymond Central saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Lucas Den Hartog, who went 1-for-4 with one RBI.
Raymond Central's defeat dropped their record down to 5-12. As for Lincoln Christian, they are on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 10-5 record this season.
Raymond Central's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Lincoln Christian has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.3 hits per game. It's a different story for Raymond Central, though, as they've been averaging 10.1 hits. Given Lincoln Christian's sizable advantage in that area, the Mustangs will need to find a way to close that gap.
Lincoln Christian took their victory against Raymond Central in their previous matchup back in April of 2023 by a conclusive 14-5 score. Do the Crusaders have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Mustangs turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
