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Here are 9 Gastonia, Shelby high school baseball and softball games to watch this week

joe l hughes ii, gaston gazette
·4 min read

With only a few weeks remaining in the 2024 season, high school baseball and softball teams in Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties are in the final furlong in their pursuit of league titles and postseason berths.

Here are nine matchups this week which may have the biggest impact on the NCHSAA and NCISAA playoff pictures.

Monday, April 15

Baseball

  • Kings Mountain at North Gaston: Rain and prom activities put the series finale of these two Big South 3A rivals on hold. Kandan Zollo’s solo home run in the sixth last Wednesday put the Mountaineers up in a 4-2 win over North Gaston (10-5, 4-3 Big South 3A). Kings Mountain (12-4, 7-0) is one in a pair of undefeated teams in Big South 3A along with South Point.

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Tuesday, April 16

Baseball

  • East Lincoln at St. Stephens: The Mustangs (14-3, 6-2 Western Foothills 3A) have bounced back from a swoon mid-March with eight consecutive victories. One of their losses during a three-game losing streak last month included a 10-3 setback to Western Foothills 3A foe St. Stephens. Both are in the mix of a tight league title race. East Lincoln is tied for the Western Foothills 3A lead with Foard, while St. Stephens (9-5, 5-3) is a game behind them.

  • Gaston Christian at Hickory Grove Christian: Gaston Christian has won six straight since a 1-0 loss March 12 to Metrolina Christian. The Eagles are hitting .316 as a team, with Meridian Leffew and David Nicks each hitting better than .500 this season along with six home runs and 36 RBIs between them. Hickory Grove Christian offers a stern test, its pitching staff with a 2.05 ERA this season.

  • Foard at North Lincoln: Kellen Karr struck out 13 Foard batters in a previous matchup, but it was the Tigers who scored three runs in the seventh to walk off with a 3-2 win. This one might as well be an elimination game for North Lincoln (11-4, 5-2 Western Foothills 3A), which can ill afford to be on the wrong end of a tiebreaker scenario in Western Foothills 3A. The Knights begin the week a half-game behind Foard in the league.

Softball

  • East Gaston at Burns (doubleheader): East Gaston (7-5, 5-3 Southern Piedmont 1A/2A) and Burns (5-6, 4-2) are both on the playoff bubble, ranked 28th and 35th, respectively, in the latest NCHSAA 2A softball RPI. Along with Shelby (7-4, 3-3), the teams are contending for the sole postseason berth provided by Southern Piedmont 1A/2A. The doubleheader is particularly important for East Gaston, which finishes league play with its trip to Lawndale.

  • Forestview at Crest: Forestview (9-4, 6-2 Big South 3A) has won five games in a row since losing three straight in mid-March. One of those setbacks was to Crest (10-3, 7-1), an 8-3 loss on March 14. Crest’s Aidan Ledbetter limited the Jaguars to two hits and struck out 12 that evening. She’ll again be the X-factor as both look to bolster their playoff prospects.

Tuesday, April 16 and Thursday, April 18

Baseball

  • South Point-Crest: South Point (10-4, 8-0 Big South 3A) is one in a pair of Big South 3A teams yet to suffer defeat in league play, joining Kings Mountain. There was one thing the reigning conference champion didn’t accomplish last spring, the Red Raiders suffering losses in two matchups against Crest (9-7, 6-2). The teams begin this week’s two-game set going in opposite directions, South Point has won 10 of its last 11 games, while the Chargers have lost four of their last five.

Tuesday, April 16 and Friday, April 19

Baseball

  • Burns-East Gaston: East Gaston’s hopes of a Southern Piedmont 1A/2A title are suddenly on life support, this after being swept by Cherryville. All isn’t lost for the Warriors (13-5, 8-2 Southern Piedmont 1A/2A), but a sweep of unbeaten Burns now becomes a necessity. The Bulldogs (18-0, 8-0) have outscored league opponents 99-5 thus far. Burns’ Marshall McGowan is hitting .533 with four doubles, two home runs and 12 RBIs during a nine-game hitting streak.

Friday, April 19

Baseball

  • North Lincoln at East Lincoln: The first meeting between Lincoln County rivals went eight innings, North Lincoln pulling out a 4-3 victory. East Lincoln boasts an impressive lineup led by Evan Matile and Matthew Phuntek, each hitting better than .400 and combining for four home runs, two triples, 11 doubles and 44 RBIs. North Lincoln counters with a solid pitching rotation of its own, with pitchers Kellen Karr, Cason McGinnis, Brady Rinkus and Cole Seagle each with an ERA of 2.00 or less.

This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: NCHSAA: 9 Gastonia, Shelby baseball, softball games to watch this week