Baseball Game Preview: Catholic Crusaders vs. Norfolk Christian Ambassadors

For the first time this season, Catholic will have a chance to prove themselves in a conference matchup. They will be playing in front of their home fans against the Norfolk Christian Ambassadors at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Catholic has given up an average of 7.5 runs per game this season, but Monday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

Catholic is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They fell 13-9 to Gonzaga on Friday.

Meanwhile, after only one run in their last matchup, Norfolk Christian made sure to put some runs up on the board against Christchurch School on Friday. Norfolk Christian was the clear victor by a 16-8 margin over Christchurch School.

Ryan Lengkeek was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he tossed three innings while giving up just two earned runs off two hits. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in strikeouts (four). He was even better at the plate, scoring two runs while getting on base in five of his six plate appearances.

In other batting news, Norfolk Christian let Jonathan Newton and Kasey Barcroft run wild. Newton went 3-for-5 with four RBI, one stolen base, and one run, while Barcroft scored three runs while going 3-for-6. That's the most hits Barcroft has posted since back in April of 2024. Oliver Anderson was another key player, scoring a run while going 1-for-4.

Norfolk Christian kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 15 hits. They are a perfect 3-0 when they post 11 or more hits.

The victory got Norfolk Christian back to even at 4-4. As for Catholic, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-4.

Catholic took their win against Norfolk Christian when the teams last played back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 14-1. Will Catholic repeat their success, or does Norfolk Christian has a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.