The Chapel Hill Tigers will square off against the NCSSM: Durham Unicorns at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. The timing is sure in Chapel Hill's favor as the squad sits on four straight wins at home (dating back to last season) while NCSSM: Durham has been banged up by 14 consecutive losses on the road also dating back to last season.
For whatever reason, it's the away team that's had the advantage when Chapel Hill and Cedar Ridge meet (four straight games heading into this one) and that held true again on Wednesday. Chapel Hill put the hurt on Cedar Ridge with a sharp 11-3 victory. The Tigers' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Teagan CoyneSmith was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he tossed 3.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. That's the fewest hits he has allowed since back in April of 2024. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while going 2-for-4. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in hits.
Jason Krieg
| 03/12/25 @ Cedar Ridge | 4 |
| 03/08/24 vs NCSSM: Durham | 3 |
| 04/16/24 vs Northern Durham | 1 |
| 03/19/24 vs Jordan | 1 |
| 03/14/24 vs Seaforth | 1 |
In other batting news, Austin Campos and Jason Krieg did most of the damage at the plate: Campos scored two runs and stole Two bases. while going 4-for-4, while Krieg got on base in all four of his plate appearances with four RBI, one stolen base, and one run. Those four RBI gave Krieg a new career-high. Another player making a difference was James Staats, who scored two runs while going 2-for-3.
Chapel Hill kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their hit total in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, NCSSM: Durham didn't have quite enough to beat Wake Prep Academy on Tuesday and fell 5-3.
NCSSM: Durham saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Charles Roederer, who got on base in three of his five plate appearances with one home run.
NCSSM: Durham's loss dropped their record down to 1-4. As for Chapel Hill, their win bumped their record up to 4-2.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Chapel Hill has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.8 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like NCSSM: Durham struggles in that department as they've been averaging 5.2 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Everything went Chapel Hill's way against NCSSM: Durham in their previous matchup back in March of 2024, as Chapel Hill made off with an 18-0 victory. Will Chapel Hill repeat their success, or does NCSSM: Durham have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
