The Lancaster Catholic Crusaders will face off against the Annville-Cleona Dutchmen at 4:15 p.m. on Monday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Lancaster Catholic got their first taste of in-conference action on Thursday and they started things off strong. They blew past Lancaster Mennonite 9-1. The Crusaders might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won three matchups by six runs or more this season.
Gabe Garcia
| 04/10/25 @ Lancaster Mennonite | 6 |
| 03/20/24 vs Trinity | 4 |
| 05/03/24 @ Columbia | 3 |
| 04/26/24 vs Annville-Cleona | 3 |
| 04/19/24 @ Pequea Valley | 3 |
Gabe Garcia made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out six over four innings pitched. Those six strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also big at the plate, scoring a run while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances.
In other batting news, Drew Walker and Zach Zuber did most of the damage at the plate: Walker got on base in three of his five plate appearances with one triple, two RBI, and one run, while Zuber scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-5. Another player making a difference was Luis Velez, who went 2-for-4 with one RBI.
Lancaster Catholic kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Lancaster Mennonite only managed seven hits.
Meanwhile, Annville-Cleona entered their tilt with Pequea Valley on Thursday with three consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with four. They never let the Braves get on the board and left with a 1-0 victory. Those one runs were actually the fewest the Dutchmen have put up all season, but given the result they're probably not too concerned.
Alex Shaffer looked comfortable as he tossed 2.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit.
At the plate, Annville-Cleona saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Brayden Lodish, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.
Annville-Cleona pushed their record up to 7-3 with the win, which was their third straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.7 runs on average over those games. As for Lancaster Catholic, their win bumped their record up to 4-5.
Monday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Lancaster Catholic hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .323. However, it's not like Annville-Cleona struggles in that department as they've averaged .316. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Lancaster Catholic suffered a grim 11-2 defeat to Annville-Cleona in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. Can the Crusaders avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
