The Carson Cougars will face off against the Northwest Cabarrus Trojans at 6:30 p.m. on Monday. Carson is coming into the matchup on a three-game losing streak.
Carson had taken South Rowan down for three straight games at home, but that winning streak came to an end on Friday. The Cougars fell 7-4 to the Raiders.
Kendal Sifford
| 04/24/26 vs South Rowan | 2 |
| 04/17/26 @ Jay M. Robinson | 2 |
| 04/15/26 vs North Iredell | 2 |
| 03/03/26 @ Salisbury | 2 |
| 04/10/26 @ East Rowan | 1 |
| + 7 more games |
Kendal Sifford was cooking despite his team's loss, going 1-for-2 with two runs and two RBI. He has become a key player for Carson: the team is 3-1 when he posts at least two runs, but 7-12 otherwise.
Northwest Cabarrus' found some homefield redemption this week after a overtime loss to Central Cabarrus on Friday. The Trojans put the hurt on Jay M. Robinson with a sharp 11-1 victory. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Trojans considering their two-run performance the contest before.
Cooper Greene was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching six innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with three RBI. Those three RBI gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, Northwest Cabarrus got a massive performance out of Jacob Justice, who went 2-for-3 with three runs, two RBI, and one double. Those two hits gave Justice a new career-high. Ben Able was another key player, getting on base in all five of his plate appearances with two runs and one stolen base.
Northwest Cabarrus always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .579. They are 4-1 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Northwest Cabarrus has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four games. That's provided a nice bump to their 10-12 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.8 runs on average over those games. As for Carson, their defeat dropped their record down to 10-13.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Carson has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Northwest Cabarrus struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 6.8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Carson skirted past Northwest Cabarrus 8-7 in their previous matchup back in March. Do the Cougars have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Trojans turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
