The Valparaiso Crusaders will host in-state rival Notre Dame in the first SouthShore Showdown, Wednesday, April 28 at 7 p.m. at U. S. Steel Yard, and general admission tickets are on sale now for only five dollars.

The two Indiana universities will square off at the home of the Northern League’s Gary SouthShore RailCats with bragging rights on the line in the teams’ only meeting on the diamond this year.  Tickets can be purchased by visiting www.railcatsbaseball.com or www.ticketreturn.com.  All tickets are only $5, and luxury suites and party decks are also available at discount prices by calling the RailCats front office at 219.882.2255. 

The SouthShore Showdown will feature more than just the game on the field, with celebrity guests from both schools expected to be in attendance along with the family-friendly ballpark fun that has helped the RailCats attract more than one million fans to U. S. Steel Yard since 2003.  More details will be announced soon.

Separated by just 55 miles, the Crusaders and Fighting Irish have met 90 times in baseball in a series that dates back to 1918.  Notre Dame has won nine straight over Valpo, but the fast-improving Crusaders will be hosting the game for the first time since 1989. 

Valparaiso will play four games at U. S. Steel Yard this spring, beginning Tuesday, April 13 when the Crusaders welcome the Indiana Hoosiers at 7 p.m.  The Brown and Gold will also tangle with Northwestern on May 4, then square off against the RailCats for the second year in a row in a special charity game Tuesday, May 12 at 6 p.m. with game proceeds benefiting the Boys & Girls Clubs of Northwest Indiana.