Baseball Game Preview: Mandarin Mustangs vs. Baldwin Indians

The Mandarin Mustangs will take on the Baldwin Indians at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Baldwin took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Mandarin, who comes in off a win.

Mandarin took a loss when they played away from home on Thursday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They never let Orange Park get on the board and left with an 8-0 victory. The Mustangs haven't had any issues with the Raiders recently, as the game was their third consecutive win against them.

Mandarin got a great performance from Hunter Simpson as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out ten over six innings pitched. Simpson has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances.

On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on John Brooks, who scored three runs while going 2-for-4. That's the most hits he has posted since back in April of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Cole Rusak, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base and one RBI.

Meanwhile, Baldwin didn't have quite enough to beat West Nassau on Friday and fell 2-1. The Indians have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Baldwin saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Chase Staley, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base and one RBI.

Mandarin's record is now 3-7. As for Baldwin, their loss dropped their record down to 7-5.

The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Mandarin has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Baldwin struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.

Mandarin might still be hurting after the 11-4 defeat they got from Baldwin in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Can Mandarin avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.