Baseball Game Preview: Collins Tigers vs. Sacred Heart Crusaders

For the second straight game, Collins will face off against Sacred Heart. The Tigers will look to defend their home field on Friday against the Crusaders at 7:00 p.m. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Collins has struggled recently with five losses in a row, while Sacred Heart will arrive with seven straight wins.

Collins fell victim to Sacred Heart and their airtight pitching crew on Tuesday. They came up short against the Crusaders, falling 10-0. While getting shut out isn't ideal, the Tigers haven't been shut out since back in February.

For Sacred Heart's part, Jameson Phillips was a major factor no matter where he played. On the mound, he kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 11 over five innings pitched. Phillips has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't tossed less than eight strikeouts in six consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with one triple, one double, and one RBI. That triple was his first of the season.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Adam Rhodes, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. Those three runs gave him a new career-high. Levi Green was another key player, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs and one stolen base.

Sacred Heart was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .389. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Collins only posted a batting average of .214.

Sacred Heart's victory bumped their record up to 13-3. As for Collins, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-7.

Friday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Collins hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .507. However, it's not like Sacred Heart struggles in that department as they've averaged .318. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.