The first of two Tulip City Showdowns this summer between the Pella and Pella Christian baseball teams will be renewed tomorrow in a single Little Hawkeye Conference game.

Pella Christian enters the Tulip City Showdown well rested after their doubleheader at Oskaloosa Friday night was called off due to unplayable field conditions. The Eagles have struggled as of late, dropping seven of their last eight games with the most recent loss coming at Newton on Wednesday. Despite their recent struggles, Pella Christian head coach Braden Shull says the key to turning things around is keeping the game simple.

“We’ll come away victorious if we throw strikes, if we limit our errors, and we put together some really good at-bats. And then if their pitcher is willing to walk us taking the walks and their pitcher is throwing strikes, being aggressive.”

Pella comes into the matchup having been swept by Class 3A #2 ranked Grinnell on Friday. Hoping to avoid a losing streak, the Dutch have history on their side. In the Varsity Bound era which dates back to 2009, Pella leads the all-time series 26-14 and won two out of the three meetings a year ago. While holding the historical advantage is nice, Dutch head coach Jesse Jablonski expects tomorrow’s game to be a tough test for his squad.

“They are super competitive. And we knew that at the start of the year that they played very well last year, and they brought a lot of guys back from that team and so they’re going to be a tough matchup for us. You know they always are going to give us their best and you know crosstown rivals it’s always a fun night playing against them.”

The Tulip City Baseball Showdown Monday at Pella High School can be heard on the KRLS3 stream at KNIAKRLS.com or viewed on Pella Dutch Live beginning with pregame coverage at 7 p.m. Monday is also Little League night at both the baseball and softball diamonds at Pella High School — youth athletes wearing their Little League shirt receive free admission and popcorn.