Fort Wayne Crusaders are taking a road trip to take on the Fort Wayne Canterbury Cavaliers at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Fort Wayne Crusaders took a loss when they played away from home two weeks ago, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. They walked away with a 6-2 victory over Lakewood Park Christian.
Christian Bontrager
| 05/06/25 vs Lakewood Park Christian | 1 |
| 04/22/25 @ Triton | 1 |
| 04/03/25 @ Hilltop | 2 |
Christian Bontrager was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two hits in three consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI.
Bontrager wasn't the only one making solid contact as seven players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Shepard Merica, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base and one run. That stolen base marked the first that Merica has snagged this season. Another was Justin Boyd, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with one stolen base and one run.
Fort Wayne Crusaders was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .407. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.
Fort Wayne Canterbury came out on top against Fort Wayne South Side on Friday thanks in part to the team's impressive four-run fifth inning. The Cavaliers took their contest against the Archers 8-4. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Cavaliers.
Like Fort Wayne Crusaders, Fort Wayne Canterbury also got a great game from a two-way player: JP Rohwer. He pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off four hits. Rohwer also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Fort Wayne Canterbury is undefeated when he allows at most one earned run, but 3-4 otherwise. Rohwer was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with one double and one RBI.
In other batting news, Braylon Maxey and Noah Hayes did most of the damage at the plate: Maxey got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs, two RBI, and one double, while Hayes went 3-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double. That's the most RBI Maxey has posted since back in April. Andrew Maloblocki was another key player, going 1-for-4 with two stolen bases, two RBI, and one run.
Fort Wayne Crusaders' first win this season bumped their record up to 1-5. As for Fort Wayne Canterbury, their record is now 8-4.
Fort Wayne Crusaders might still be hurting after the 11-3 defeat they got from Fort Wayne Canterbury in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. Can Fort Wayne Crusaders avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
