Baseball Game Preview: Palisades Pumas vs. Hopewell Titans

Palisades is on a three-game streak of home wins, while Hopewell is on a three-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Pumas will host the Titans at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Palisades will roll into the matchup after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up two runs on Wednesday, then bounced right back against Ballantyne Ridge on Friday. The Pumas put the hurt on the Wolves with a sharp 14-2 win.

Micah VanFossen

Batters Struck Out

04/04/25 @ Ballantyne Ridge	10
03/27/25 vs Butler	7
03/21/25 @ South Mecklenburg	7
03/18/25 vs South Mecklenburg	5
03/14/25 vs Myers Park	2
+ 14 more games

Micah VanFossen made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out ten over five innings pitched. That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in February of 2024. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. He has become a key player for Palisades: the team is 5-1 when he posts at least two runs, but 3-7 otherwise.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Max Wearing, who fired off two home runs, three runs, and three RBI while going 3-for-4. That's the most hits he has posted since back in April of 2024. Another player making a difference was Addison Rowland, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs.

Palisades was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .533. They are a perfect 5-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.

Meanwhile, Hopewell made easy work of West Mecklenburg on Tuesday and carried off an 18-3 victory. The Titans haven't had any issues with the Hawks recently, as the game was their eighth consecutive win against them.

Palisades' victory ended a four-game drought on the road and puts them at 8-8. As for Hopewell, their win bumped their record up to 12-3.