Lancaster Mennonite is 0-10 against Lancaster Catholic since April of 2021 but things could change on Monday. The Blazers will be playing in front of their home fans against the Crusaders at 4:15 p.m. After the two teams made easy work of their previous opponents, one won't be so lucky on Monday.
Lancaster Mennonite is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. Their pitchers stepped up to hand La Academia Charter a 25-0 shutout on Friday. With that victory, the Blazers brought their scoring average up to 9.2 runs per game.
Jackson Bare was a major factor no matter where he played. He tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Bare was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one stolen base and one RBI. That stolen base marked the first that he snagged this season.
In other pitching news, Connor Halliday looked comfortable as he tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits.
Back at the plate, Lancaster Mennonite got a massive performance out of Reuben Gingrich, who scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. Gingrich also hit a double, marking his first of the season. Another player making a difference was Brady Kinney, who scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Lancaster Mennonite hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their strikeout total in four consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, Lancaster Catholic can bid farewell to their three-game losing streak thanks to their game on Thursday. They blew past Eastern York 7-1.
Zach Zuber spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered a run (which was unearned) on three hits.
On the hitting side, Luis Velez was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in all five of his plate appearances. The team also got some help courtesy of Drew Walker, who went 2-for-4 with two RBI and one double.
Lancaster Catholic's win bumped their record up to 3-4. As for Lancaster Mennonite, the victory got them back to even at 3-3.
Lancaster Mennonite's speedy runners might be the difference in Monday's game. The Blazers have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.7 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Lancaster Catholic, though, as they've been averaging only 0.7 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Lancaster Mennonite continue to outrun the ball?
Lancaster Mennonite might still be hurting after the 12-2 loss they got from Lancaster Catholic in their previous matchup back in May of 2024. Will the Blazers have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.
