Baseball Game Preview: Lake Norman Wildcats vs. East Rowan Mustangs

The Lake Norman Wildcats will head out on the road to challenge the East Rowan Mustangs at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Lake Norman's pitching crew has only allowed 1.6 runs per game this season, so East Rowan's hitters will have their work cut out for them.

Lake Norman is probably headed into the contest with a chip on their shoulder considering Davie just ended the team's six-game winning streak on Tuesday. They fell just short of the War Eagles by a score of 6-5. The loss put an end to the Wildcats' undefeated start to the season.

Christian Sandoval

Hits (Career)

03/11/25 @ Davie	3
03/07/25 @ West Cabarrus	2
03/06/25 vs Butler	1
03/04/25 vs West Cabarrus	1
05/07/24 @ Reagan	1

Christian Sandoval made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4. Those three hits gave him a new career-high. Carson Beaver also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.

Meanwhile, East Rowan got the win against Cox Mill on Tuesday by a conclusive 15-6. The result was nothing new for the Mustangs, who have now won three matchups by seven runs or more so far this season.

East Rowan got a massive performance out of Sam Blackwelder, who went 2-for-4 with five RBI, two doubles, and one run. The team also got some help courtesy of Harrison Ailshie, who scored three runs while going 3-for-4.

East Rowan kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. They are a perfect 4-0 when they post 11 or more hits.

The win made it two in a row for East Rowan and bumps their season record up to 5-2. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.0 runs on average over those games. As for Lake Norman, their defeat was their first of the season and makes their record 6-1.

The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Lake Norman has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 11.4 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like East Rowan struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.4 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.

Lake Norman might still be hurting after the 10-4 loss they got from East Rowan in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Can Lake Norman avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.