Baseball Game Preview: Sacred Heart Crusaders vs. Lumberton Panthers

For the second straight game, Sacred Heart will face off against Lumberton. Sacred Heart will be playing at home against Lumberton at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Sacred Heart knows how to get runs on the board -- the squad has finished with ten runs or more in their past four contests -- so hopefully Lumberton likes a good challenge.

On Tuesday, Sacred Heart needed a bit of extra time to put away Lumberton. They were the clear victors by an 18-8 margin over the Panthers. The Crusaders might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won ten matches by six runs or more this season.

Kyron Murphy

Runs

03/25/25 @ Lumberton	4
02/11/25 vs Stringer	4
03/21/25 vs Enterprise	3
03/06/25 vs Salem	3
03/01/25 @ Jefferson Davis County	2
+ 9 more games

Kyron Murphy was a major factor no matter where he played. On the mound, he pitched four innings while giving up three earned (and three unearned) runs off only two hits. That's the fewest hits he has allowed since back in February. He was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring four runs and stealing a base while going 3-for-5. He has become a key player for Sacred Heart: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 4-6 otherwise.

In other batting news, Darren Brown was a standout: he went 4-for-6 with five RBI and two runs. He is becoming a predictor of Sacred Heart's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 4-6 when he doesn't). Another player making a difference was Colter Garner, who scored two runs while going 2-for-5.

Sacred Heart kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 17 hits. They are a perfect 9-0 when they post 11 or more hits.

Sacred Heart is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six games. That's provided a nice bump to their 12-6 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.8 runs over those games. Lumberton's defeat ended a seven-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 11-4-1.

Both Sacred Heart and Lumberton just can't seem to miss. Sacred Heart has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.5 hits per game. However, it's not like Lumberton struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 5 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.