Durham School of the Arts is 0-10 against South Granville since March of 2016 but things could change on Wednesday. The Durham School of the Arts Bulldogs will host the South Granville Vikings at 6:00 p.m. The two teams are strolling into their matches after big wins in their previous games.
South Granville will be up against a hot Durham School of the Arts team: the squad just extended their winning streak to three. Durham School of the Arts was the clear victors by a 17-3 margin over Vance County on Friday. The result was nothing new for the Bulldogs, who have now won three contests by 14 runs or more so far this season.
Michael Matuszewski made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out ten batters over five innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off two hits. Matuszewski was also solid in the batter's box, scoring three runs.
In other batting news, Mars Hartmann was incredible, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-4. Christopher Matuszewski was another key player, scoring two runs while going 1-for-2.
Durham School of the Arts hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now struck out at most four strikeouts in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask South Granville). They never let J.F. Webb get on the board and left with a 27-0 win on Friday. The Vikings haven't had any issues with the Warriors recently, as the game was their eighth consecutive victory against them.
Like Durham School of the Arts, South Granville also got a great game from a two-way player: Brooks Newman. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out nine over five innings pitched. Furthermore, Newman didn't allow a single walk, the first time he has blanked an opponent since back in April of 2024. He was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 2-for-3. That's the most hits he has posted since back in April of 2024.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Cooper Wilkins, who scored five runs and stole Two bases. while going 4-for-4. What's more, he posted three RBI, the most he's had since back in April of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Vani Hernandez, who scored three runs and stole Three bases. while going 2-for-3.
South Granville's win bumped their record up to 3-5. As for Durham School of the Arts, their victory bumped their record up to 4-2.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Durham School of the Arts has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.3 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like South Granville struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.2 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Durham School of the Arts might still be hurting after the 11-1 defeat they got from South Granville when the teams last played back in March of 2024. Can Durham School of the Arts avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
