The Lancaster Catholic Crusaders will head out to challenge the Annville-Cleona Dutchmen at 4:15 p.m. on Wednesday. Lancaster Catholic's pitching crew has only allowed four runs per game this season, so Annville-Cleona's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Northern Lebanon hit Lancaster Catholic with a four-run fifth inning on Tuesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Crusaders took a 6-1 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Vikings. The Crusaders have struggled against the Vikings recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive lost meeting.
Gabe Garcia was cooking despite his team's loss, going 2-for-4 with one triple and one run. That triple marked the first that he has hit this season.
Meanwhile, Annville-Cleona got themselves on the board against Lancaster Mennonite on Monday, but Lancaster Mennonite never followed suit. They were the clear victors by a 13-0 margin over the Blazers. The matchup marked the Dutchmen's most dominant win of the season.
Traian Dompier was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only two hits while striking out six over five innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in six consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with two runs and one RBI. He is becoming a predictor of Annville-Cleona's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 6-7 when he doesn't).
In other batting news, Noah Morcom was incredible, going a perfect 4-for-4 with three runs, one triple, and one stolen base. That's the most runs he has posted since back in April of 2024. Another player making a difference was Colten Shaffer, who got on base in four of his five plate appearances with two runs and two RBI.
Annville-Cleona always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .590. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Lancaster Mennonite only posted an OBP of .273.
Lancaster Catholic's defeat dropped their record down to 8-7. As for Annville-Cleona, their victory ended a four-game drought on the road and puts them at 9-7.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Lancaster Catholic has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.3 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Annville-Cleona struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8.2 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Lancaster Catholic came out on top in a nail-biter against Annville-Cleona in their previous matchup on April 14th, sneaking past 2-1. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Crusaders since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
