Baseball Game Preview: Fort Wayne Crusaders vs. Hilltop Cadets

Fort Wayne Crusaders

Runs

05/16/26 @ Fort Wayne Canterbury	2
05/13/26 vs Adams Central	3
05/09/26 vs CHASE	10
05/09/26 vs CHASE	7
05/07/26 @ Lakewood Park Christian	14
+ 6 more games

Fort Wayne Crusaders will venture away from home to square off against the Hilltop Cadets at 5:30 p.m. on Monday. Fort Wayne Crusaders is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.6 runs per game this season.

Fort Wayne Crusaders came up short against Fort Wayne Canterbury on Saturday, falling 8-2. Fort Wayne Crusaders hasn't had much luck with Fort Wayne Canterbury recently, as the team has come up short the last four times they've met.

Fort Wayne Crusaders saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Christian Bontrager, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs and one double. That double was Bontrager's first of the season.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Hilltop, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Friday. They came out on top against Camden-Frontier by a score of 6-2 on Saturday.

Brady Wagner made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out nine batters over five innings while giving up just two earned runs off two hits. Wagner was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with one triple and one run.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Toby Hartman, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI, one stolen base, and one run. Those three RBI gave him a new career-high.

Hilltop is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 14-8 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.3 runs over those games. As for Fort Wayne Crusaders, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-3.

The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Fort Wayne Crusaders has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Hilltop struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.