Baseball Game Preview: Union Academy Cardinals vs. Mount Pleasant Tigers

The Union Academy Cardinals will head out to challenge the Mount Pleasant Tigers at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Mount Pleasant took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on Union Academy, who comes in off a win.

Union Academy will roll into the contest after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up two runs on Wednesday, then bounced right back against Albemarle on Friday. The Cardinals put the hurt on the Bulldogs with a sharp 16-1 win.

Meanwhile, Mount Pleasant fought the good fight in their extra-innings game against Christ the King on Thursday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell 14-10 to the Crusaders. While the Tigers didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Crusaders 4-0 in the first period.

Gavin Norris was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he struck out six batters over 6.1 innings while giving up just two earned (and five unearned) runs off eight hits (and only one walk). He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in five consecutive appearances.

On the hitting side, Easton Huneycutt was cooking despite his team's loss, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with one home run, three RBI, and one double. The team also got some help courtesy of Broc Overcash, who scored two runs while going 2-for-4.

Union Academy has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five matchups. That's provided a massive bump to their 6-8 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.6 runs over those games. As for Mount Pleasant, their defeat was their fourth straight at home, which dropped their record down to 10-6.

Union Academy came up short against Mount Pleasant when the teams last played back in May of 2024, falling 10-7. Can the Cardinals avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.