The contest will be played tonight at 7, because East’s prom is Friday.

“Playing on Thursday won’t affect anything,” said East coach Jeff Safrit. “It just means the winner gets to do some scouting on Friday.”

Tri-County Conference champion Central Davidson (24-3) will have a leg up on being the ones who get to do that scouting, because the team’s ace pitcher Nick Lockhart, a right-hander with a 7-2 record, is rested and ready. Central, ranked No. 8 in the state in 3A, got past Tuesday’s first-round opponent, West Rowan, 7-1, behind No. 2 hurler Chase Younts.

Younts got the mound call only after an agonizing decision by coach Mike Lawson. Two hours later, Lawson looked like a genius. Younts, a finesse lefty, fanned 15 Falcons. Younts’ lone mistake was a high first-inning changeup that Jared Barnette powered out of the park.

Now, though, there’s no question that Lawson will pin his hopes on Lockhart’s right arm.

“Yeah, Lockhart will pitch,” said Lawson, who’s in his 13th year. “We aren’t going to fool anyone this time.”

“People tell me Lockhart is an awful lot like (East ace) Brian Hatley,” said Safrit, paying a compliment to both team leaders. “But really, being a right-hander, we’d just as soon see him.”

That’s mostly because East’s top homer threat, Bobby Clester, swings from the left side and fares much better against righties.

Safrit would love to be able to match fire with fire tonight, but Hatley (10-2) will return to third base after throwing a complete game Tuesday in the Mustangs’ 7-0 first-round win over South Point. Safrit will hand the ball to either junior right-hander Jeremy Teague or sophomore southpaw Julian Sides.

Teague throws harder. He is 7-1 with 52 strikeouts and an ERA of 4.94. The relatively high ERA is deceiving. Teague gave up eight runs in one inning in the Easter Tournament against 4A power Providence. Otherwise, he’s been solid.

Sides, has ungodly stats. The calm youngster with the biting curve, is 6-0 with a snappy ERA of 1.48 and hasn’t allowed a single homer. For the most part, though, he’s faced softer opponents than have Hatley and Teague. Sides is death on left-handers, but Central’s usual lineup is eight right-handers and one lefty. That may tip the scales toward Teague. Whichever hurler doesn’t get the starting nod, will be on call in case trouble brews.

The two biggest troublemakers for Central in the batter’s box are the same ones who cause consternation on the hill. Younts is not only a troublemaker, he’s a double-maker. He ripped three two-baggers against West. Lockhart smacked his 12th homer against the Falcons, which means he’s hit as many longballs as the entire East roster. It’s no secret that Safrit will try to make someone other than Lockhart beat him. Younts and Lockhart, both seniors, usually occupy the 2-3 spots in Lawson’s lineup.

While Central has at least a paper edge in the pitching department, East has a very tangible advantage in playing the game in Granite Quarry. A big crowd was a factor for the Mustangs on Tuesday, pumping up Hatley and his defense, while deflating the visitors.

“Playing at home does make a big difference,” said Safrit. “It’s an edge for us.”

East, 24-4 and ranked No. 6 in the state in 3A, has actually played its last eight games at either Staton or Newman Park and would also host the next round of playoffs if it wins tonight.

Lawson did not complain about his conference champs having to hit the road this early in the playoffs.

“That’s the nature of the baseball state playoffs,” he said. “It’s different than football. We do know we’ll see a tough crowd. It’ll be a tremendous challenge for our kids to play East at their place.”

But then it would be a challenge to play traditionally strong East anywhere. East has won six conference titles since ‘93 and is 208-54 (79.4 percent) under Safrit. East is in the playoffs for the ninth straight year, while Central is in the postseason mix for the first time in five years.

Lawson recalls only one previous meeting with the Mustangs — a loss to East’s eventual state champions in ‘95. The sign commemorating that Mustang title is one of the first things you notice when you enter Staton. That sign, the enthusiastic fans and the Mustangs’ history of heroics, can combine for an intimidating atmosphere.

“Jeff does a great job and his team is always gonna be tough,” said Lawson, well aware of the numbers.

Both teams come in on a roll. Lawson said Central played “really well” to stop West. Safrit acknowledged that his team played one of its best games against South Point. “South Point was good,” he said. “But our defense took things away from them.”

Safrit said Central’s coaches have watched East play three times, while he’s never seen the Spartans. But he’s consulted with “some pretty good minds,” including friend and West coach Chris Cauble, in preparing for tonight’s game.

“We’re relaxed. This is that fun time of year,” said Safrit. “But we also realize we’re going up against a tough team. You don’t win 24 ball games by accident.”

But then, East didn’t win 24 by accident, either. That’s why all the hype about this one is justified.

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