Advertisement

On deck: 8 Gastonia, Shelby high school baseball and softball games to watch this week

Joe L Hughes II, Gaston Gazette
·4 min read

The penultimate week of the NCHSAA high school baseball and softball seasons has arrived, with teams in Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties looking to finish the regular season with a flourish.

Schedule makers only added to the intrigue, the week ahead includes a clash for supremacy in Big South 3A baseball, as well as what amounts to “win-or-go-home” in Southern Piedmont 1A/2A. Meanwhile, are we in for yet another twist in a competitive Western Foothills 3A title race?

Here are a few things to look forward to this week in area high school baseball and softball.

LAST WEEK'S SPORTS HONOR ROLL: Gastonia, Shelby top performers: North Gaston baseball's Livingstone pitches gem in win

CLIMBING THAT MOUNTAIN: Here's how grit and unity are keying Kings Mountain softball's run at a Big South 3A title

Monday, April 22

Baseball

  • Gaston Christian at Metrolina Christian: Gaston Christian is 11-3 overall (3-2 NCISAA Metrolina) this season, with each of its three losses by one run. Among those was a 1-0 setback on March 12 to Metrolina Christian (21-0, 4-0), Case Gibbs limiting the Eagles to no runs on four hits with 12 strikeouts. Bats silenced in a 2-1 loss last week to Hickory Grove Christian, dealing Metrolina Christian its first loss would offer a boost of confidence.

Tuesday, April 23

Softball

  • East Lincoln at North Iredell: With an outright Western Foothills 3A title no longer part of the equation, reigning NCHSAA 3A state champion East Lincoln’s (9-6, 7-3 Western Foothills 3A) focus shifts toward simply securing a playoff berth. Ranked 25th in the NCHSAA’s 3A RPI rankings to start the week, a win over North Iredell (10-5, 8-2) would deal the Lady Mustangs a world of good.

  • North Gaston at Stuart Cramer: Stuart Cramer (7-7, 5-5 Big South 3A) begins the week on the playoff bubble, ranked 30th in the latest NCHSAA 3A RPI rankings. While games with East Gaston and Ashbrook loom later in the week, a pesky North Gaston side has an opportunity to play spoiler. Last month, the Storm needed eight innings to defeat North Gaston, 11-10.

Tuesday, April 23 and Friday, April 26

Baseball

  • Kings Mountain-South Point: By week’s end, South Point (12-4, 10-0 Big South 3A) may have put a bow on its second league title in a row. Standing in its way is Kings Mountain (14-5, 9-1), which trails the Red Raiders by a game with four games remaining. South Point is averaging 11.3 runs per game against league competition, best in Big South 3A. Meanwhile, the 13 runs permitted by Kings Mountain pitchers are fewest in the conference.

  • Crest-North Gaston: Two teams going in opposite directions meet in a key late season series. North Gaston (13-5, 7-3 Big South 3A) has won eight of its last nine, keeping its slim hopes of a league title alive. As for Crest, it has lost six of its last seven and four straight against Big South 3A foes. Its recent slide has it on the playoff bubble, the Chargers currently 28th in the NCHSAA 3A RPI rankings.

  • Christ the King-Lincoln Charter: The result of the two-game set between Lincoln Charter (13-6, 11-1 Catawba Shores 1A/2A) and Christ the King (15-4, 10-2) may have ramifications for the NCHSAA 2A West and 1A West brackets. A sweep delivers Lincoln Charter the Catawba Shores 1A/2A title; a loss opens the door for Christ the King and Community School of Davidson (8-6, 8-2) to grab a share for themselves.

Softball

  • Burns-Shelby: Cleveland County rivals Burns (6-8, 4-4 Southern Piedmont 1A/2A) and Shelby (9-4, 5-3) each are fighting for their playoff lives as the final week of league play begins. Shelby comes in ranked No. 32 in the NCHSAA 2A West RPI rankings, while Burns is 35th. A Shelby sweep pulls it even with East Gaston (10-6, 7-3) in the pursuit of an NCHSAA 2A West automatic playoff berth. Should such occur, the team making it farthest in the upcoming Southern Piedmont 1A/2A tournament would claim the playoff berth.

Thursday, April 25

Baseball

  • Foard at East Lincoln: Foard (14-4, 8-2 Western Foothills 3A)) holds a slim lead in the Western Foothills 3A standings, sitting a game in front of North Lincoln and East Lincoln. Speaking of East Lincoln (15-4, 7-3), the Mustangs handed Foard a 3-1 loss in its home ballpark on March 27. A win earns East Lincoln a regular season sweep, and potentially creates a logjam atop a competitive Western Foothills 3A.

This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Gastonia, Shelby baseball, softball games to watch (April 22, 2024)