Baseball Game Preview: Flanagan Falcons vs. Cardinal Newman Crusaders

The Flanagan Falcons will challenge the Cardinal Newman Crusaders at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this contest.

Last Wednesday, Flanagan didn't have quite enough to beat Monsignor Pace and fell 5-4.

Brandon Padro was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he tossed 4.2 innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off three hits. Those hits marked the first that he allowed this season.

Jose Mercano

Hits (Career)

03/12/25 vs Monsignor Pace	3
03/10/25 vs South Broward	1
03/07/25 vs Jupiter	1
02/24/25 @ West Broward	1
02/21/25 vs St. Thomas Aquinas	1

At the plate, Jose Mercano was cooking despite his team's loss, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, two RBI, and one double. Those three hits gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Daniel Chavez, who scored a run and stole Two bases. while going 2-for-3.

Meanwhile, after a string of 12 wins, Cardinal Newman's good fortune finally ran out on Thursday. They fell 8-3 to Taravella. The loss put an end to the Crusaders' undefeated start to the season.

Dominic Demarzo made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and scored a run while going 2-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of Finn Duran, who scored a run while going 2-for-4.

Flanagan's defeat dropped their record down to 4-9. As for Cardinal Newman, their loss was their first of the season and makes their record 12-1-1.

Flanagan skirted past Cardinal Newman 6-4 in their previous meeting back in March of 2023. Does Flanagan have another victory up their sleeve, or will Cardinal Newman turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.