Here's what's on deck for Gastonia, Shelby high school baseball, softball this week
With attention now shifted from basketball courts back outdoors toward spring sports, here’s a look at what is on the docket as high school baseball and softball teams settle into their respective seasons.
Baseball
Cherryville-East Gaston (March 18, 21)
Both enter with 2-0 records in league play, Cherryville (4-4, 2-0 Southern Piedmont 1A/2A) outscoring Shelby 20-4 in a sweep of their two-game set last week. East Gaston (6-3, 4-0) earned its fourth straight victory Thursday with an 8-3 win at Bessemer City, completing a two-game sweep of the Yellow Jackets.
Cherryville is led by sophomore Parker Anderson, who is hitting .400 with two doubles and six RBI. East Gaston pitchers Jackson Messer and Parker Stafford hope to limit his impact this week, the duo leading the Warriors with 49 strikeouts.
East Lincoln-North Lincoln (March 18, 21)
East Lincoln outscored Hickory 16-0 last week en route to a sweep of their two-game set. Its only loss was a 3-2 setback at North Gaston. Meanwhile, North Lincoln’s early season slate has been more of a roller coaster, with two wins last week over St. Stephens steadying the ship after a 1-5 start to the season.
North Lincoln hopes to stymie an East Lincoln lineup featuring three players with 25 at-bats hitting above .400: Brody Hager (.412), Matthew Phuntek (.400) and Brandon Washington (.409).
South Point-Stuart Cramer (March 18, 21)
Some may find it hard to believe, but Stuart Cramer (4-2, 2-0 Big South 3A) has never beaten rival South Point in 19 tries. Last year proved the Storm was at least nipping at South Point’s heels, suffering a pair of 7-6 losses last season to the Red Raiders (5-3, 1-0).
Cramer pitchers Mason Price and Nic Stutzman have combined for 39 strikeouts this season. They’ll face a deep South Point lineup that produces just shy of nine runs per game.
West Lincoln at Burns (Wednesday)
Burns (8-1, 4-0 Southern Piedmont 1A/2A) has scored runs in bunches thus far, averaging 12 per game on their way to an 8-1 record. The Bulldogs’ only loss thus far was a 2-1 result at T.C. Roberson.
Meanwhile, West Lincoln (4-4, 3-1 Catawba Valley 2A) comes into the week seeking consistency. After winning two of their first three, the Rebels have since lost three of five.
Softball
Cherryville-East Gaston (March 18, 21)
After starting the season 0-2, Cherryville has won its last five games. The Lady Ironmen (5-2, 2-0 Southern Piedmont 1A/2A) have not allowed a run in their last 12 innings, including shutouts of Shelby (twice) and Stuart Cramer.
A hard-hitting East Gaston (7-1, 4-0) side provides a significant test, its lineup boasting a .454 average and 23 extra base hits, including four home runs.
Kings Mountain at Cherryville (Wednesday)
Needless to say, it’s an important week for Cherryville in league play. However, a matchup with last year’s NCHSAA 3A runner-up will serve as quite the litmus test. A deep Cherryville lineup featuring six players (with greater than 16 at-bats) hitting better than .400 take their swings against Kings Mountain (4-1, 3-0 Big South 3A) ace Maddie Huffman, who has struck out 53 batters in 24 ⅓ innings.
This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: NCHSAA: What's on deck for Gastonia, Shelby area baseball, softball?
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