Baseball Game Preview: Riverside Pirates vs. Burns Hilanders

Riverside hasn't had much luck against Burns recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Pirates are taking a road trip to take on the Hilanders at 1:00 p.m. Riverside has given up an average of 9.6 runs per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

Riverside couldn't beat Vale on Friday even though they stacked four runs on them in the first inning. The Pirates came up short against the Vikings, falling 16-6. That's two games in a row now that the Pirates have lost by exactly ten runs.

Cooper Cemore and Colby Crowell did some serious damage despite the final result: Cemore went 3-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run, while Crowell went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI. Crowell is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last five games he's played. Payton Thomas also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen bases of the season.

Meanwhile, Burns came tearing into Tuesday's game with four straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They walked away with a 4-1 win over the White Buffalos.

Riverside's loss dropped their record down to 7-7. As for Burns, their victory bumped their record up to 7-3.

Riverside couldn't quite get it done against Burns in their previous matchup back in April of 2025 as they fell 4-1. Can the Pirates avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.