Here are 6 Gastonia, Shelby high school baseball and softball games to watch this week
A program barely in its second decade of existence, Stuart Cramer baseball coach Matt Scholz couldn’t help but take account of certain pieces of history waiting to be unlocked.
The Storm began their work of redoing program history books last week, earning their first series sweep of North Gaston. Prior to last week, Cramer had only one win over the Wildcats in their existence, a 9-5 win last spring. According to Scholz, it was a piece of information which he and the team chose to rally around rather than run from.
“It’s the first time we’ve swept them in school history; it’s nice, and the guys know (about) it,” he said. “We got the win last year (against North Gaston), we thought it was a building block. We set the expectation moving forward, so I’m proud of how we’re coming together.”
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A new week brings a new opportunity to reverse a trend against an old nemesis.
Cramer (5-2, 2-2 Big South 3A) and South Point will meet March 26 and 28 in a key league matchup. After losses in their first three, South Point has won five consecutive games, including four in a row to start Big South 3A play. The Red Raiders have scored at least 10 runs in their last four games.
Much like its history with North Gaston, the Storm have struggled with South Point as well. Cramer has defeated the Red Raiders once, a 7-5 win in April 2018.
The South Point-Cramer series headlines a pre-spring break bonanza of high school baseball softball action. Here are other matchups to keep an eye on this week.
Concord Academy at Gaston Christian (March 25)
Quietly, Gaston Christian is off to one of the area’s better starts at 7-2 (1-1 NCISAA Metrolina).
The Eagles’ two losses have been one-run losses to Covenant Day and Metrolina Christian. Sophomore standout Meridian Leffew goes into the game on an eight-game hitting streak and batting .615 this season.
Concord Academy (8-1) is riding a wave of its own, however, winners of seven in a row. Its pitchers have a 1.26 ERA with 94 strikeouts thus far.
West Lincoln at East Burke softball (March 25)
Four teams in Catawba Valley 2A softball have two losses, with West Lincoln and East Burke fitting the bill. The two meet Monday for a key league matchup, with the loser falling three games behind Maiden, which begins the week 4-0 in conference play.
East Gaston-Highland Tech baseball (March 26 and 28)
Tuesday’s matchup is at Sims Park in Gastonia, with the scene shifting to East Gaston on Thursday.
East Gaston (9-1, 6-0 Southern Piedmont 1A/2A) is among the area’s hotter teams at the moment, winners of eight consecutive games. Last week was particularly impressive, claiming wins over Kings Mountain and Shelby via mercy rule.
Don’t expect East Gaston to take Highland Tech lightly, however, as the Rams are off to a 7-2 start. The Rams’ only losses have been to North Gaston and Stuart Cramer thus far.
Cherryville-Burns softball (March 26 and 28)
Burns has stood in Cherryville’s way of achieving Southern Piedmont 1A/2A softball regular season and tournament titles each of the past two seasons. Is this year the one in which the Lady Ironmen break through?
Cherryville certainly has the look of a league favorite, hitting .459 as a team and scoring 15 runs per game during a six-game win streak. Meanwhile, Burns has won two straight after four consecutive losses to start the season.
East Lincoln at Foard baseball (March 26)
East Lincoln snapped a three-game losing streak Friday with a 10-0 win over North Iredell. Evan Matile and J.T. Roche each had three hits, while Trey Spees had a double and a home run in a winning effort.
The Mustangs will again need to bring their bats against Foard (8-1, 3-0 Western Foothills 3A). The Tigers have won six straight and are anchored by a strong pitching staff with a 0.86 ERA and 89 strikeouts.
This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: NCHSAA: 6 Gastonia, Shelby baseball, softball games to watch this week
