Baseball Game Preview: Cardinal Newman Cardinals vs. Northside Christian Academy Crusaders

The Cardinal Newman Cardinals will face off against the Northside Christian Academy Crusaders at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The last three games Cardinal Newman has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.

Cardinal Newman took a loss when they played away from home two weeks ago, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed last Friday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against White Knoll, sneaking past 2-1.

Meanwhile, Northside Christian Academy came tearing into Thursday's match with five straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 9.8 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They blew past the Highlanders 14-4. Considering the Crusaders have won seven games by more than five runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.

Grayson Crim made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. What's more, he posted four strikeouts, the most he's had since back in March of 2024. He was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-4. Northside Christian Academy is undefeated when Crim posts two or more runs, but 3-5 otherwise.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Will Spotts, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances. He has become a key player for Northside Christian Academy: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 3-5 otherwise. Cade McNeill was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 2-for-4.

Northside Christian Academy kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least 11 hits in three consecutive contests.

Northside Christian Academy's win bumped their record up to 8-5. As for Cardinal Newman, their victory bumped their record up to 3-4.