Baseball Game Preview: St. Mary Catholic Central Falcons/Kestrels vs. Milan Big Reds

The St. Mary Catholic Central Falcons/Kestrels will head out on the road to face off against the Milan Big Reds at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.

St. Mary Catholic Central can't be too worried about heading out to take on Milan: they just beat Whiteford at home, who had been dominant on their own field up to that point. The Falcons/Kestrels had just enough and edged out the Bobcats 4-3 on Saturday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Falcons/Kestrels.

Meanwhile, Milan hadn't done well against Chelsea recently (they were 0-4 in their previous four matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Friday. The Big Reds came out on top in a nail-biter against the Bulldogs, sneaking past 6-4. The victory was some much needed relief for the Big Reds as it spelled an end to their three-game losing streak.

Gunnar Kruise was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he struck out six batters over six innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off seven hits. That's the most strikeouts he has posted over his last five matchups. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with two stolen bases and one run. Milan is undefeated when Kruise posts two or more stolen bases, but 7-14 otherwise.

In other pitching news, Hunter Strimpel looked comfortable as he pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two hits any time he's pitched this season.

Back at the plate, Larry Shock III was excellent, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. That's the most runs he has posted over his last 11 contests.

St. Mary Catholic Central's record now sits at 13-3-1. As for Milan, their record is now 10-14.

St. Mary Catholic Central was able to grind out a solid win over Milan when the teams last played back in April, winning 7-4. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Falcons/Kestrels since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.