Baseball Game Preview: Stevenson Patriots vs. Crystal Lake Central Tigers

The Stevenson Patriots are taking a road trip to challenge the Crystal Lake Central Tigers at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday.

Last Thursday, Stevenson came up short against Antioch and fell 8-3. The Patriots have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Stevenson got a good showing from Andrew Langerman, who pitched 3.2 innings while giving up just two earned runs off three hits. What's more, Langerman gave up only one walk, the fewest he's had since back in April of 2024.

At the plate, Stevenson saw eight different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Aidan Crawley, who scored a run while going 1-for-2. Jackson Merdalo also deserves some recognition as he got his first hit of the season.

For whatever reason, it's the away team that's had the advantage when Crystal Lake Central and Cary-Grove meet (three straight games heading into this one) and that held true again on Friday. The Tigers narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past the Trojans 3-1. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Tigers have posted against the Trojans since May 4, 2022.

The win got Crystal Lake Central back to even at 6-6-1. As for Stevenson, they now have a losing record of 6-7.