Baseball Game Preview: Butler Bulldogs vs. Charlotte Catholic Cougars

For the second straight game, Butler will face off against Charlotte Catholic. The Bulldogs will welcome the Cougars at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Butler has given up an average of 7.5 runs per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

Things were looking good for Butler after they put the first points on the board on Tuesday, but unfortunately for them things went downhill from there. They lost 15-5 to Charlotte Catholic. While the Bulldogs didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Cougars 5-0 in the first period.

For Charlotte Catholic's part, they got a great performance from Ben Bordeaux as he kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out eight over 5.2 innings pitched. Bordeaux has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run any time he's pitched this season.

On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Jon Fijalkowski, who got on base in three of his five plate appearances with one home run and three runs. Luke Danser was another key player, scoring three runs while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances.

Charlotte Catholic always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .524. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Butler only posted an OBP of .292.

The victory was the eighth in a row for Charlotte Catholic, bringing their record up to 14-2. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.1 runs on average over those games. As for Butler, they have traveled a rocky road recently, having lost seven of their last nine contests. That's put a noticeable dent in their 6-9 record this season.

Butler's speedy runners might be the difference in Friday's game. The Bulldogs have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.8 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Charlotte Catholic, though, as they've been averaging only 1.4 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Butler continue to outrun the ball? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.