Baseball Game Preview: Lancaster Catholic Crusaders vs. Columbia Crimson Tide

Lancaster Catholic has gone 8-2 against Columbia recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Monday. The Crusaders will face off against the Crimson Tide at 4:15 p.m.

Lancaster Catholic came into their game on Saturday off a hard-fought close win, but unfortunately suffered a serious change of fortune. They came up short against Twin Valley, falling 11-1.

Meanwhile, Columbia never let their opponents score on Friday. They put the hurt on Milton Hershey with a sharp 10-0 win. The victory continues a trend for the Crimson Tide in their matchups with the Spartans: they've now won three in a row.

Columbia let Cameron McClair and Chase Marley run wild. McClair got on base in three of his four plate appearances with four stolen bases and three runs, while Marley got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. Columbia is undefeated when McClair posts two or more runs, but 3-9 otherwise. Dougie Rhoads also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.

Columbia's win bumped their record up to 8-9. As for Lancaster Catholic, they now have a losing record of 6-7.

The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Lancaster Catholic has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.3 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Columbia struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 11.4 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.

Lancaster Catholic skirted past Columbia 2-0 when the teams last played back in April. 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.