Baseball Game Preview: Rowland Raiders vs. Whittier Cardinals

The Rowland Raiders will venture away from home to square off against the Whittier Cardinals at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Rowland will roll into the contest after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up two runs on Saturday, then bounced right back against Excelsior Charter on Tuesday. Rowland walked away with a 10-7 victory over Excelsior Charter. Considering the Raiders' hitters had been struggling lately, the high-scoring outing was a much-needed turnaround.

Nathanael Li

Runs

03/04/25 vs Excelsior Charter	2
02/27/25 @ The Webb Schools	2
02/19/25 @ Montclair	2

Nathanael Li was excellent, getting on base in all three of his plate appearances with two runs and one triple. He is becoming a predictor of Rowland's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 2-1 (and 1-6 when he doesn't). Another player making a difference was Sonny O'Neal, who went 1-for-2 with two RBI and one double.

Rowland always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .588. The last time their OBP was this high was back in March of 2024.

Meanwhile, Whittier entered their tilt with Glenn on Saturday with two consecutive wins , and they'll enter their next game with three. They walked away with an 8-4 win over the Eagles.

The team relied heavily on Carl Collins, who went 2-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base. He is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last three games he's played. Derrick Monreal also deserves some recognition as he got his first hit of the season.

Rowland's victory ended a four-game drought at home and bumped them up to 3-7. As for Whittier, their record now sits at 4-2.

Rowland suffered a grim 10-1 defeat to Whittier in their previous matchup back in February of 2024. Can Rowland avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.