Lowell is 9-1 against Lincoln since April of 2022 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Wednesday. The Cardinals will be playing in front of their home fans against the Mustangs at 4:30 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Lowell is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. Their pitchers stepped up to hand Mission a 10-0 shutout. Winning may never get old, but the Cardinals sure are getting used to it with their fourth in a row.
Angelo Ornelas-Rafael
| 05/08/25 vs Mission | 8 |
| 03/24/25 @ Washington | 7 |
| 04/09/25 vs Washington | 6 |
| 04/01/25 @ Hilltop | 2 |
| 04/29/24 vs Galileo | 2 |
Angelo Ornelas-Rafael made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He struck out eight batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). Those eight strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, three RBI, and two runs.
In other batting news, Reggie Fong was excellent, going 2-for-3 with three runs. That's the most runs he has posted since back in May of 2024. Another player making a difference was Emerson Sakai, who went 2-for-4 with one double and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Lincoln made easy work of Washington on Thursday and carried off an 11-5 win. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Mustangs.
Like Lowell, Lincoln also got a great game from a two-way player: Branson Derrington. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out ten batters over 5.2 innings while giving up four earned (and one unearned) runs off five hits. Derrington has become a key player for Lincoln: the team is 3-1 when he posts at least eight strikeouts, but 12-14 otherwise. Derrington was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in three of his five plate appearances with three runs and two RBI.
In other batting news, Lincoln got a massive performance out of Nicholas Chiu, who went 2-for-5 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base. Chiu is becoming a predictor of the Mustangs' success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 9-15 when he doesn't). Everett Carvalho was another key player, getting on base in three of his five plate appearances with three runs and one double.
Lowell pushed their record up to 21-8 with the victory, which was their ninth straight at home. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.2 runs over those games. As for Lincoln, the victory got them back to even at 15-15.
Lowell skirted past Lincoln 3-2 when the teams last played two weeks ago. Do the Cardinals have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Mustangs turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
