Baseball Game Preview: Northwest Christian Crusaders vs. Gilbert Christian Knights

The Northwest Christian Crusaders will head out to challenge the Gilbert Christian Knights at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Northwest Christian comes in on three and Gilbert Christian on four.

While Northwest Christian's win against ALA - Ironwood wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. Northwest Christian sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 5-3 victory over ALA - Ironwood on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Gilbert Christian). They put the hurt on Benjamin Franklin with a sharp 23-0 win on Wednesday. Give the Knights' pitching crew some credit: that's the team's third straight shutout.

Caleb Johnson looked comfortable as he struck out six batters over 3.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits (and not a single walk). What's more, he gave up only zero walks, the fewest he's had since back in April of 2024.

At the plate, Camden Pallas was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with five RBI, two runs, and one stolen base. That stolen base was his first of the season. Dane Coyle was another key player, scoring three runs while going 2-for-3.

Gilbert Christian was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .643. The last time their batting average was this high was back in March of 2024.

The victory got Gilbert Christian back to even at 4-4. As for Northwest Christian, they now have a winning record of 5-4.

Northwest Christian skirted past Gilbert Christian 4-3 in their previous matchup back in March of 2024. Will Northwest Christian repeat their success, or does Gilbert Christian have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.