Baseball Preview: West Mecklenburg Hawks vs. Mallard Creek Mavericks
West Mecklenburg is 0-6 against Mallard Creek since April of 2022 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Monday. The West Mecklenburg Hawks will head out on the road to challenge the Mallard Creek Mavericks at 6:30 p.m. Both teams come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
West Mecklenburg is headed into the contest fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. Everything went their way against Harding University on Friday as West Mecklenburg made off with a 24-10 victory. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest win of the season.
Davion Reid was a standout: he scored two runs and stole three bases while getting on base in all six of his plate appearances. Robert Gerardo was another key contributor, scoring four runs and stealing three bases while getting on base in four of his seven plate appearances.
Meanwhile, in what's become a running theme this season, Mallard Creek gave their fans yet another huge victory on Friday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Chambers a 9-0 shutout. The win made it back-to-back victories for Mallard Creek.
The result came thanks to Breton MacNeil's shutout, as he gave up just two hits and racked up seven Ks. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't pitched less than five innings in three consecutive pitching appearances.
At the plate, Colin McCartney was incredible, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 3-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of Jaden McKay, who scored two runs while going 3-for-3.
The win was the third in a row for West Mecklenburg, bringing their record for this year to 8-12-1. As for Mallard Creek, the victory got them back to even at 12-12.
Monday's matchup might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. West Mecklenburg has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .440. However, it's not like Mallard Creek struggles in that department as they've averaged .466. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
West Mecklenburg might still be hurting after the 12-3 defeat they got from Mallard Creek when the teams last played last Friday. Can West Mecklenburg avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
