Baseball Game Preview: Lowell Cardinals vs. Lincoln Mustangs

For the second straight game, Lowell will face off against Lincoln. The Cardinals will be playing in front of their home fans against the Mustangs at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday. Lowell is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.2 runs per game this season.

Lowell barely beat Lincoln the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Cardinals were the clear victors by an 11-2 margin over the Mustangs on Wednesday. The Cardinals haven't had any issues with the Mustangs recently, as the game was their seventh consecutive win against them.

Julian Cook

Batters Struck Out

04/30/25 @ Lincoln	5
04/24/25 vs Mission	13
04/19/25 @ Woodside	7
04/10/25 @ Washington	5

Julian Cook spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered two runs (both of which were unearned) on four hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in four consecutive appearances.

At the plate, Lowell saw seven different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Angelo Ornelas-Rafael, who went 2-for-5 with four RBI, two runs, and one double. That's the most RBI Ornelas-Rafael has posted since back in March. Another was Mateo Batacan, who went 2-for-3 with two runs.

They weren't the only ones making solid contact: Lowell kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Lincoln only managed four hits.

Lincoln moved to 13-13 with that loss, which also ended their three-game winning streak. As for Lowell, their victory bumped their record up to 19-8.

The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. Lowell has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.7 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Lincoln struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 4 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.