Baseball Recap: East Gaston Sets Scoring Season-High Against Shelby

Warriors

Team Score (Highest)

03/28/25 vs Shelby	20
03/11/25 vs Bessemer City	17
03/12/25 @ West Iredell	16
02/28/25 vs Forestview	16
03/25/25 @ Shelby	14

Winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask East Gaston). They were the clear victors by a 20-2 margin over the Shelby Golden Lions on Friday. The Warriors might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five matches by seven runs or more this season.

Parker Stafford and Seth Massey made a splash no matter where they played. On the mound, Stafford didn't allow a single earned run while striking out seven over four innings pitched. Meanwhile, Massey pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Furthermore, Stafford didn't allow a single walk, the first time he has blanked an opponent since back in February. At bat, Stafford scored a run and stole a base while going 4-for-4, while Massey scored three runs. Stafford is becoming a predictor of East Gaston's success: when he posts at least three hits the team is undefeated (and 4-5 when he doesn't).

In other batting news, East Gaston let Cameron Barnette and Zane Dodd run wild. Barnette scored three runs and stole a base while going 2-for-2, while Dodd went 3-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, and one triple. The dominant performance also gave Barnette a new career-high in doubles (two). Another player making a difference was Payton Matthews, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.

East Gaston has been performing well recently as they've won six of their last eight contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 8-5 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.0 runs over those games. Shelby dropped their record down to 2-10 with the defeat, which was their third straight on the road.

Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. East Gaston will venture away from home to take on Burns at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Burns' pitching crew has only allowed two runs per game this season, so East Gaston's hitters will have their work cut out for them. As for Shelby, they will head out to challenge Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Shelby is facing Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy at the right time seeing as Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy is stuck on a three-game losing streak.