Baseball Game Preview: Shoreland Lutheran Pacers vs. Racine Lutheran/Prairie Crusaders

For the second straight game, Shoreland Lutheran will face off against Racine Lutheran/Prairie. The Pacers will square off against the Crusaders at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday.

Shoreland Lutheran is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They put the hurt on Racine Lutheran/Prairie with a sharp 17-2 win on Tuesday. The high-scoring effort was just what the Pacers needed considering they were shut out in their previous matchup.

Slayton Smith

Runs Batted In (Career)

05/13/25 vs Racine Lutheran/Prairie	3
04/23/25 vs St. Catherine's	2
04/12/25 vs Kettle Moraine Lutheran	2
04/10/25 @ St. Catherine's	2
04/05/25 @ Milwaukee King	2

Slayton Smith made a big impact no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run while striking out seven over five innings pitched. He also tossed no walks, which is notable because Shoreland Lutheran is 4-1 when he allows at most two walks, but 7-8-1 otherwise. Smith was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with three RBI, one stolen base, and one double. Those three RBI gave him a new career-high.

In other batting news, Chase Creuziger was incredible, going 3-for-4 with five RBI, two runs, and two doubles. He is becoming a predictor of Shoreland Lutheran's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 6-9-1 when he doesn't). The team also got some help courtesy of Brayden Polzin, who got on base in all three of his plate appearances with three runs and two RBI.

Shoreland Lutheran's record is now 11-9-1. As for Racine Lutheran/Prairie, they dropped their record down to 2-16 with the loss, which was their fourth straight on the road.