Baseball Game Preview: Redding Christian Lions vs. Hamilton Braves

The Redding Christian Lions will be taking part in a tournament against the Hamilton Braves at 8:30 a.m. on Friday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Redding Christian is looking to give their home crowd another W after opening their season at home on Tuesday. They were the clear victor by a 10-2 margin over Central Valley.

Brodie Ogden made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out six over four innings pitched. Ogden was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring three runs and stealing Three bases. while going 1-for-3. That's the most stolen bases he has posted since back in March of 2024.

In other batting news, Wyatt Shaw was a standout: he scored a run while going 2-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of Caleb Zick, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base and one RBI.

Meanwhile, Hamilton waltzed into their contest on Tuesday with three straight wins... but they left with four. They came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured a 2-1 W against the Cardinals. While the Braves didn't have the best season last year (they finished 7-12-1), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.

Dylan Joksch spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on three hits and racked up 11 Ks. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances.

On the hitting side, Hamilton's victory was truly a team effort as five different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Erik Navarro, who scored a run while going 1-for-3. Chase Rodgers also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.

Redding Christian suffered a grim 25-0 defeat to Hamilton in their previous meeting back in April of 2016. Can Redding Christian avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.