East Gaston hasn't had much luck against Cherryville recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The East Gaston Warriors will challenge the Cherryville Ironmen at 7:00 p.m. East Gaston is coming into the game hot, having won their last four games.
East Gaston gave up the first runs last Thursday, but they didn't let that get them down. They came out on top against Bessemer City by a score of 8-3.
Zane Dodd
| 03/13/25 @ Bessemer City | 3 |
| 03/11/25 vs Bessemer City | 2 |
| 03/07/25 @ Highland Tech | 2 |
| 03/12/25 @ West Iredell | 1 |
| 02/28/25 vs Forestview | 1 |
The team relied heavily on Zane Dodd, who went 3-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and one double. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in hits. Dylan Wright was another key player, going 2-for-4 with three RBI and one stolen base.
East Gaston was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .406. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .357 or higher in five consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Cherryville, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Thursday. They put the hurt on Shelby with a sharp 10-2 victory on Friday. The Ironmen might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won three matches by seven runs or more this season.
Canon Whitesides was a major factor no matter where he played. He pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two hits in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-2. He also put up a double, which was his first of the season.
In other batting news, Brock Bumgardner was excellent, going 1-for-4 with one home run and two RBI. That home run marked the first that he launched this season. Another player making a difference was Kenan Fowler, who scored a run and stole a base while going 3-for-4.
East Gaston's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 6-3. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.7 runs over those games. As for Cherryville, they are on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four games. That's provided a massive bump to their 4-4 record this season.
East Gaston came up short against Cherryville when the teams last played back in May of 2024, falling 3-0. Can East Gaston avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
