The Carson Cougars are taking a road trip to square off against the West Rowan Falcons at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Carson is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.4 runs per game this season.
Carson will bounce into Thursday's matchup after beating East Rowan, who they had gone 1-8 against in their nine prior meetings. The Cougars were the clear victors by a 13-3 margin over the Mustangs on Tuesday. That's two games straight that the Cougars have won by exactly ten runs.
Kendal Sifford
| 04/28/26 vs East Rowan | 4 |
| 04/24/26 vs South Rowan | 2 |
| 03/30/26 vs Concord | 2 |
| 04/22/26 @ South Stanly | 1 |
| 04/17/26 @ Jay M. Robinson | 1 |
The team relied heavily on Kendal Sifford, who went 2-for-3 with one home run and four RBI. Those four RBI gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Ryan Snyder, who went 2-for-4 with two runs, two doubles, and one RBI.
They weren't the only ones making solid contact: Carson 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.
Meanwhile, West Rowan had already won four in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 14 runs) and they went ahead and made it five on Tuesday. They came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured an 8-7 W against the Raiders. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last four times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
Brant Graham was excellent, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two RBI and one run. Another player making a difference was Preston Javidi, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base and two RBI.
Carson's record now sits at 12-13. As for West Rowan, their record is now 21-5.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Carson has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like West Rowan struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Carson came up short against West Rowan in their previous matchup back in March, falling 6-2. Can the Cougars avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
