Baseball Game Preview: Lafayette Central Catholic Knights vs. Harrison Raiders

The Lafayette Central Catholic Knights will face off against the Harrison Raiders at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Lafayette Central Catholic barely beat Rensselaer Central the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Knights were the clear victors by an 11-1 margin over the Bombers on Tuesday. The result was nothing new for the Knights, who have now won seven matchups by six runs or more so far this season.

Meanwhile, Harrison came tearing into Wednesday's game with six straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 6.5 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They walked away with a 5-1 victory over the Bronchos.

Chase Gothrup looked comfortable as he didn't allow a single earned run over four innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up a single earned run in five consecutive appearances.

At the plate, Nolan Hodnett was excellent, going 2-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run. Another player making a difference was Kendrick Pena, who went 1-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one double.

The win made it two in a row for Lafayette Central Catholic and bumps their season record up to 10-3. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 14.0 runs over those games. As for Harrison, they pushed their record up to 11-1 with the win, which was their third straight at home.

Lafayette Central Catholic beat Harrison 5-1 in their previous matchup back in May of 2024. Will the Knights repeat their success, or do the Raiders have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.