Baseball Game Preview: Chelmsford Lions vs. North Andover Scarlet Knights

Chelmsford is preparing for their first league matchup of the season on Friday. They will be playing in front of their home fans against the North Andover Scarlet Knights at 3:30 p.m. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Chelmsford 3, North Andover 3.5) so any runs scored will be well earned.

North Andover will square off against a team with plenty of momentum: Chelmsford extended their winning streak to four on Wednesday. The Lions skirted past Billerica Memorial 6-4. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last four times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.

Matthew Stuart was a major factor no matter where he played. He struck out seven batters over 5.1 innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off four hits. Stuart was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 1-for-2.

In other batting news, Jack Keyo was excellent, scoring a run while going 2-for-4.

Meanwhile, North Andover has relied on a stalwart pitchers averaging 3.5 runs allowed per game, but that average took a hit on Wednesday. They came up short against Methuen, falling 11-5. The loss was the Scarlet Knights' first of the season.

Chelmsford pushed their record up to 4-2 with the victory, which was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average this season. As for North Andover, their loss was their first of the season and makes their record 3-1.

Chelmsford couldn't quite get it done against North Andover in their previous matchup back in May of 2024 as they fell 6-1. Can the Lions avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.