Baseball Game Preview: Father Judge Crusaders vs. Cardinal O'Hara Lions

For the first time this season, Father Judge will have a chance to prove themselves in a conference matchup. They will take on the Cardinal O'Hara Lions at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Cardinal O'Hara took a loss in their last match and will be looking to turn the tables on Father Judge, who comes in off a win.

Father Judge's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They blew past Abraham Lincoln 17-0. The high-scoring effort was just what the Crusaders needed considering they were shut out in their previous contest.

Kenny Wetherell made a splash no matter where he played. On the mound, he pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Wetherell was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with two RBI. Those two RBI gave him a new career-high.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Shane Szychulski, who scored three runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-3. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in RBI (two). Another player making a difference was Alex Rodriguez, who scored three runs while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances.

Meanwhile, Cardinal O'Hara unfortunately couldn't capitalize on their home-field advantage in their season opener. They fell 7-2 to Malvern Prep on Wednesday. Sadly, the loss continues a streak the team started last season, making it four in a row.

Cardinal O'Hara also got a good showing from Adam Schreiber, who tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. The dominant performance also gave Schreiber a new career-low in earned runs (zero).

At the plate, Jake Steigerwalt made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and got on base in all three of his plate appearances with one home run. Brendan Till was another key player, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 1-for-3.

Father Judge came up short against Cardinal O'Hara when the teams last played back in April of 2024, falling 6-3. Can Father Judge avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.