Baseball Game Preview: Lincoln Mustangs vs. Lowell Cardinals

For the second straight game, Lincoln will face off against Lowell. The Mustangs will face off against the Cardinals at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday.

Lincoln's last matchup with Lowell could've gone either way, but unfortunately the same can't be said for the pair's match on Wednesday. The Mustangs came up short against the Cardinals, falling 11-2. The Mustangs haven't had much luck with the Cardinals recently, as the team has come up short the last seven times they've met.

For Lowell's part, 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. Cook has been nothing but reliable: 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. Mateo Batacan was another, going 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.

Lowell is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight games. That's provided a nice bump to their 19-8 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.5 runs on average over those games. As for Lincoln, their loss dropped their record down to 13-13.

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