The Lancaster Catholic Crusaders will head out to square off against the Northern Lebanon Vikings at 4:15 p.m. on Wednesday. The two teams are strolling into their contests after big wins in their previous games.
Having struggled with three losses in a row, Lancaster Catholic turned things around against Eastern York on Thursday. They blew past the Golden Knights 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, the team relied heavily on Luis Velez, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in all five of his plate appearances. Drew Walker was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two RBI and one double.
Meanwhile, Northern Lebanon won against Lancaster Mennonite on Wednesday with 15 runs and they decided to stick to that run total again on Monday. The Vikings didn't even let Columbia on the board, marking the Vikings' second-straight 15-0 shutout. The victory continues a trend for the Vikings in their matchups with the Crimson Tide: they've now won eight in a row.
Adrian Gonzalez made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out ten over four innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, scoring two runs while going 3-for-4.
In other batting news, Brian Bicksler was excellent, scoring two runs while going 1-for-1. Another player making a difference was Connor Stoltz, who scored two runs while going 2-for-4.
Northern Lebanon always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .516. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Columbia only posted an OBP of .143.
Northern Lebanon pushed their record up to 8-1 with the win, which was their third straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Lancaster Catholic, their record now sits at 3-4.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Lancaster Catholic has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.3 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Northern Lebanon struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8.1 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Lancaster Catholic might still be hurting after the 9-2 defeat they got from Northern Lebanon when the teams last played back in April of 2024. Can the Crusaders avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
