The Trinity Shamrocks will head out to square off against the Lancaster Catholic Crusaders at 4:15 p.m. on Friday. Trinity will be looking to extend their current four-game winning streak.
Trinity proved they can win big last Monday (they won by ten) and last Thursday they proved they can win the close ones too. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 6-4 victory over Middletown. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Shamrocks have posted since June 3, 2024.
Trinity's victory was truly a team effort as seven different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Preston Groff, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI. Nick Abner also deserves some recognition as he brought in his first RBI of the season.
Meanwhile, Lancaster Catholic played in-conference for the first time on Thursday and got just the result they were looking for. They were the clear victors by a 9-1 margin over Lancaster Mennonite. Considering the Crusaders have won three games by more than five runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Gabe Garcia made a splash no matter where he played. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run while striking out six over four innings pitched. Those six strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances.
In other batting news, Lancaster Catholic let Drew Walker and Zach Zuber run wild. Walker got on base in three of his five plate appearances with one triple, two RBI, and one run, while Zuber scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-5. Luis Velez was another key player, going 2-for-4 with one RBI.
Lancaster Catholic kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Lancaster Mennonite only managed seven hits.
Trinity's record is now 6-1. As for Lancaster Catholic, their record now sits at 4-5.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Trinity has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Lancaster Catholic struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.4 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Trinity came out on top in a nail-biter against Lancaster Catholic when the teams last played back in March of 2024, sneaking past 11-9. Do the Shamrocks have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Crusaders turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
