Baseball Game Preview: Padua Franciscan Bruins vs. Lake Catholic Cougars

The Padua Franciscan Bruins will face off against the Lake Catholic Cougars at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Padua Franciscan 3.8, Lake Catholic 3.2) so any runs scored will be well earned.

Padua Franciscan took a loss when they played away from home on Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Wednesday. They came out on top against Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy by a score of 6-3 (the very same score they lost by in their prior game).

Meanwhile, Lake Catholic entered their tilt with Padua Franciscan with two consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with three. They walked away with a 6-3 win over the Bruins.

Patrick Radigan made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run over 5.2 innings pitched. He has been consistent: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in five consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one run.

In other batting news, Pete Malchesky was excellent, going 1-for-2 with two RBI, one run, and one double. That double was his first of the season. Tyler Hribar was another key player, going a perfect 1-for-1 with two RBI and one run.

Padua Franciscan has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven matches. That's provided a massive bump to their 13-7 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.1 runs on average over those games. As for Lake Catholic, they pushed their record up to 15-2 with the win, which was their third straight at home.

Padua Franciscan came up short against Lake Catholic in their previous matchup on Tuesday, falling 6-3. Will the Bruins have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.