Baseball Game Preview: Mater Dei Catholic Crusaders vs. Hilltop Lancers

Mater Dei Catholic and Hilltop are an even 5-5 against one another since March of 2016, but likely not for long. The Crusaders are taking a road trip to challenge the Lancers at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Hilltop took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Mater Dei Catholic, who comes in off a win.

Mater Dei Catholic saw some tournament action on Tuesday. They came out on top against Monte Vista by a score of 6-3. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Crusaders.

Gael Perez tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only two hits over five innings pitched.

Luke Sosa

Runs Batted In

04/01/25 vs The Meadows School	6
04/08/25 @ Monte Vista	5
03/26/25 @ Francis Parker	3
03/24/25 vs La Jolla	3
04/04/25 vs Calexico	1
+ 2 more games

At the plate, the team relied heavily on Luke Sosa, who went 1-for-3 with one home run and five RBI. Mater Dei Catholic is 3-1 when Sosa posts three or more RBI, but 3-10 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Joey Castillo, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 1-for-2.

Meanwhile, Hilltop was not able to break out of their rough patch on Monday as the team picked up their third straight defeat. They were a single run away from ending the streak, but they lost a 10-9 heartbreaker at the hands of Rancho Buena Vista.

Mater Dei Catholic's win bumped their record up to 6-11. As for Hilltop, their loss dropped their record down to 4-11.

Mater Dei Catholic skirted past Hilltop 7-5 in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Crusaders since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.