Baseball Game Preview: Eastside Catholic Crusaders vs. Lakeside Lions

Eastside Catholic is 8-2 against Lakeside since May of 2019 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Monday. The Crusaders will head out to challenge the Lions at 4:00 p.m. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Eastside Catholic 3.7, Lakeside 3.2) so any runs scored will be well earned.

Eastside Catholic was handed a heart-breaking two-run loss in their last matchup, but they sure didn't let that happen against Garfield on Friday. The Crusaders were the clear victors by an 11-1 margin over the Bulldogs. The Crusaders might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five contests by six runs or more this season.

Jay Baxter looked comfortable as he pitched four innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits.

Tyler Long

Runs (Career)

04/11/25 @ Garfield	3
03/31/25 @ Seattle Prep	2
03/27/25 @ Bishop Blanchet	2
03/22/25 @ Everett	2
03/28/25 @ Seattle Academy	1

At the plate, Ryan Long and Tyler Long did most of the damage at the plate: Ryan went 3-for-4 with three RBI and two doubles, while Tyler scored three runs and stole two bases while going 1-for-3. Those three runs gave Tyler a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Xavier Padilla, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-2.

Eastside Catholic was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .429. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Garfield only posted a batting average of .211.

Meanwhile, Lakeside was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their third straight defeat. They were a single run away from ending the streak, but they lost a 1-0 heartbreaker at the hands of Seattle Academy. The game marked the first time this season in which the Lions were not able to get on the board.

Lakeside's loss dropped their record down to 8-4. As for Eastside Catholic, their record now sits at 7-5.

Eastside Catholic was able to grind out a solid victory over Lakeside in their previous matchup back in May of 2024, winning 6-3. Do the Crusaders have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Lions turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.