Baseball Game Preview: Cranberry Area Berries vs. Karns City Gremlins

Cranberry Area hasn't had much luck against Karns City recently, but that could start to change on Wednesday. The Berries will welcome the Gremlins at 4:15 p.m.

On Monday, Cranberry Area came up short against Moniteau and fell 5-2.

Ben Lindenberg was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he pitched 4.1 innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one earned run any time he's pitched this season.

At the plate, Cranberry Area saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Blake Marchinke, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base and one run.

Meanwhile, Karns City's rock-solid pitcher showed up for the team's third consecutive shutout on Monday. They never let Keystone get on the board and left with a 10-0 win. The result was nothing new for the Gremlins, who have now won six contests by seven runs or more so far this season.

The team relied heavily on Tyler Kelly, who went 2-for-3 with two doubles, two RBI, and one run. Those two doubles gave him a new career-high. Koen Williams was another key player, going 1-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.

Karns City is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 7-4 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.2 runs over those games. As for Cranberry Area, their loss dropped their record down to 5-5.

Cranberry Area couldn't quite get it done against Karns City in their previous matchup back in May of 2024 as they fell 5-1. Will the Berries have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.