Baseball Recap: Faith Lutheran Wins Going Away Against Palo Verde

With a playoff win on the line, Faith Lutheran rose to the challenge on Wednesday. They were the clear victors by a 10-3 margin over the Palo Verde Panthers. The Crusaders' offense finally found a way to get into gear: the high-octane performance was a 180-degree turn from their last three games.

Luke Stringer made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Faith Lutheran is 7-1 when he allows at most one earned run, but 12-13 otherwise. Stringer was also big at the plate, earning two runs and one stolen base. Those two runs gave him a new career-high.

In other pitching news, Cash Martin tossed a big game, tossing five innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off six hits.

Eli Leone

Runs Batted In (Career)

05/07/25 @ Palo Verde	2
04/25/25 vs Basic	1
03/31/25 vs Spring Valley	1
03/12/25 vs Red Mountain	1

Back at the plate, Faith Lutheran got a big performance out of Eli Leone, who went 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI. Those two RBI gave Leone a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Nate Keyes, who went 3-for-5 with two RBI and one run.

Faith Lutheran kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their hit total in three consecutive contests.

Faith Lutheran has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 19-14 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.8 runs on average over those games. As for Palo Verde, their defeat ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 22-9.

Faith Lutheran and Palo Verde are set to take part in some playoff action in their next matches. The Crusaders will face off against Basic at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. The Wolves will roll in looking for their fifth straight win, something Faith Lutheran surely won't give up without a fight. As for Palo Verde, they will take on Bishop Gorman at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. The Panthers' pitchers better be ready for this one: the Gaels have averaged an impressive 6.2 runs per game this season.