The Pinecrest Academy Cadence Cougars will challenge the Durango Trailblazers at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Pinecrest Academy Cadence has struggled recently with 12 defeats in a row, while Durango will arrive with 11 straight wins.
Thursday just wasn't the day for Pinecrest Academy Cadence's offense. They might be feeling deja-vu: they lost 15-0 to Western, which was the same score (and result) they got the week prior.
Meanwhile, Durango earned a 9-4 victory over Rancho on Monday.
Alexander Mercurius made a splash no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out nine batters over four innings while giving up four earned runs off only two hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in seven consecutive appearances. He was even better at the plate, going 3-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in doubles (two).
In other pitching news, Luke Desoto looked comfortable as he tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits. What's more, he posted four strikeouts, the most he's had since back in March.
Back at the plate, Aiden Farrell and Rocco Germano did most of the damage at the plate: Farrell went 1-for-4 with two runs and one stolen base, while Germano got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one stolen base and one run. The team also got some help courtesy of Kysyn Kauahipaula, who went 1-for-3 with two runs.
Durango kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least nine hits in seven consecutive matchups.
Durango pushed their record up to 19-6 with the win, which was their fifth straight on the road. Those road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.2 runs over those games. As for Pinecrest Academy Cadence, their loss dropped their record down to 1-13.
Pinecrest Academy Cadence might still be hurting after the 16-0 defeat they got from Durango in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Can the Cougars avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
