Baseball Game Preview: Columbia Christian Crusaders vs. Bradley Bears

The Columbia Christian Crusaders will head out on the road to face off against the Bradley Bears at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Columbia Christian will roll into the contest after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up one run on Friday, then bounced right back against Lafayette County on Monday. The Crusaders blew past the Cougars 15-4. The high-scoring performance was a welcome turnaround for the Crusaders' hitters, who had struggled in the games prior.

Ruston Hern made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two hits in three consecutive appearances. He was even better at the plate, scoring three runs and stealing four bases while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. He has become a key player for Columbia Christian: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 2-3 otherwise.

Kash Smith

Runs

03/17/25 vs Hampton	4
04/01/25 @ Hermitage	3
03/21/25 @ Lafayette County	3
04/14/25 vs Lafayette County	2
03/20/25 vs Blevins	2

In other batting news, Nolan Walker and Kash Smith did most of the damage at the plate: Walker scored two runs and stole three bases while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances, while Smith scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances. Columbia Christian is undefeated when Smith posts two or more runs, but 1-3 otherwise. Landon Burley was another key player, scoring three runs and stealing a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.

Meanwhile, Bradley got their first taste of in-conference action on Tuesday and they started things off strong. They walked away with a 4-1 victory over Hermitage.

Columbia Christian's record now sits at 6-3. As for Bradley, they now have a winning record of 5-4.