Baseball Game Preview: Laurel Spartans vs. New Castle Hurricanes

The Laurel Spartans will venture away from home to square off against the New Castle Hurricanes at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Having struggled with four defeats in a row, Laurel turned things around against Freedom Area on Tuesday. They came out on top against the Bulldogs by a score of 5-4 (the very same score they lost by in their prior game). For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Spartans have posted against the Bulldogs since May 2, 2018.

Luca Santini

Batters Struck Out

04/14/26 vs Freedom Area	7
03/25/26 vs New Brighton	5
03/19/26 @ Eden Christian Academy	5

Luca Santini spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered three earned (and one unearned) runs on six hits and racked up seven Ks. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in three consecutive appearances.

On the hitting side, Kolton Carlson was incredible, going 2-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and one double. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in May of 2025. Another player making a difference was Will Zwolenik, who went 1-for-3 with two runs and one RBI.

New Castle came out on top against Taylor Allderdice on Wednesday thanks in part to the team's impressive four-run third inning. The Hurricanes' pitchers stepped up to hand the Dragons a 6-0 shutout. The result was nothing new for the Hurricanes, who have now won five games by six runs or more so far this season.

Laurel's record is now 3-6. As for New Castle, their record now sits at 7-3.

Laurel suffered a grim 10-0 defeat to New Castle in their previous matchup back in April of 2025. Can the Spartans avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.