Baseball Game Preview: Columbia Crimson Tide vs. Lancaster Catholic Crusaders

Columbia is 0-10 against Lancaster Catholic since April of 2021 but things could change on Wednesday. The Crimson Tide will be playing at home against the Crusaders at 4:15 p.m. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Having struggled with four defeats in a row, Columbia turned things around against Lancaster Mennonite on Monday. They blew past the Blazers 8-2. The result was nothing new for the Crimson Tide, who have now won four games by six runs or more so far this season.

Cameron McClair was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. Columbia is 3-1 when McClair posts two or more stolen bases, but 2-4 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Owen Musser, who scored two runs while going 2-for-3.

Meanwhile, Lancaster Catholic waltzed into their contest on Tuesday with two straight wins... but they left with three. Their pitcher stepped up to hand the Shamrocks a 1-0 shutout. That's two games straight that the Crusaders have won by just one run.

The result came thanks to Zach Zuber's shutout, as he gave up just five hits and racked up eight Ks.

Lancaster Catholic now has a winning record of 6-5. As for Columbia, their win was their first in the conference, bumping their conference record up to 1-3 and their overall record up to 5-5.

Columbia's speedy runners might be the difference in Wednesday's matchup. The Crimson Tide have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Lancaster Catholic, though, as they've been averaging only 0.7 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Columbia continue to outrun the ball?

Columbia came up short against Lancaster Catholic in their previous matchup back in May of 2024, falling 5-1. Can the Crimson Tide avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.