Baseball Game Preview: Faith Lutheran Crusaders vs. Basic Wolves

Faith Lutheran and Basic are an even 5-5 against one another since March of 2023, but likely not for long. The Crusaders will square off against the Wolves at 12:30 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Faith Lutheran is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. They came out on top against Bishop Manogue by a score of 5-2.

Jordan Watkins

Earned Runs

04/08/25 @ Palo Verde	8
03/12/25 vs Red Mountain	6
03/05/25 vs Liberty	4
02/27/25 vs Lake Travis	4
04/17/25 vs Bakersfield Christian	2
+ 1 more games

Jordan Watkins spent all eight innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned (and one unearned) run on eight hits. He has become a key player for Faith Lutheran: the team is undefeated when he allows at most one earned run, but 15-16 otherwise.

At the plate, Rouselle Shepard was incredible, going 3-for-4 with four RBI and one double. That's the most hits he has posted since back in April. Another player making a difference was Eli Leone, who went 2-for-4 with two runs and one double.

Faith Lutheran hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. The team has now struck out at least five batters in six consecutive contests.

Meanwhile, Basic faced Reno in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Thursday. The Wolves never let the Huskies get on the board and left with a 3-0 win. The Wolves haven't had any issues with the Huskies recently, as the game was their third consecutive victory against them.

Not much got past Lincoln Evans, who gave up just six hits and racked up eight Ks to keep Reno off the board. Evans has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances.

On the hitting side, Basic saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Lyndon Lee, who went 1-for-2 with one RBI.

Basic's win bumped their record up to 23-7. As for Faith Lutheran, they have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four games. That's provided a nice bump to their 22-16 record this season.

Faith Lutheran suffered a grim 12-5 defeat to Basic when the teams last played on Saturday. Can the Crusaders avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.