Baseball Game Preview: Mandarin Mustangs vs. Bishop Kenny Crusaders

Mandarin and Bishop Kenny are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2017, but likely not for long. The Mandarin Mustangs will take on the Bishop Kenny Crusaders at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Mandarin's pitching crew has only allowed 3.8 runs per game this season, so Bishop Kenny's hitters will have their work cut out for them.

Mandarin made up a huge gap compared to their last game against Baldwin, but they still couldn't quite topple them. Mandarin blew past Baldwin 9-1 on Wednesday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Mustangs.

Hunter Simpson

Base on Balls Against

02/27/25 @ First Coast	3
03/07/25 vs Orange Park	2
03/12/25 vs Baldwin	1
02/15/25 @ Englewood	1

Hunter Simpson spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on three hits. He also tossed a walk, which is notable because Mandarin is 2-1 when he allows at most one walk, but 2-6 otherwise.

At the plate, Mandarin let Cole Rusak and CJ Murphy run wild. Rusak scored a run while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances, while Murphy scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-4. That's the most hits Murphy has posted since back in February. Another player making a difference was Malik Morrison, who scored a run while going 2-for-4.

Meanwhile, Bishop Kenny was not able to break out of their rough patch on Wednesday as the team picked up their third straight loss. They came up short against Buchholz, falling 10-1.

Mandarin's win bumped their record up to 4-7. As for Bishop Kenny, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-10.