Vance Charter will square off against Northern Durham at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Vance Charter has three straight victories, Northern Durham has four straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
While Vance Charter's win against Warren County wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Knights narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past the Eagles 5-3. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Knights have posted since March 28th.
Austin Dethmers
| 04/24/25 vs Warren County | 5 |
| 04/21/25 vs Crossroads Christian | 4 |
| 04/18/25 @ American Leadership Academy-Johnston | 2 |
| 04/08/25 @ Voyager Academy | 1 |
| 03/21/25 vs Oxford Prep | 0 |
| + 6 more games |
Austin Dethmers was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching 2.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. What's more, he posted five strikeouts, the most he's had since back in April of 2024. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases and one RBI.
Dethmers wasn't the only one making solid contact as three players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Peyton Furr, who went 1-for-2 with one run and one RBI. Julius Burke was another, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one stolen base and one run.
Meanwhile, Northern Durham lost 30-9 to Jordan on Friday.
Tanner Freeman was cooking despite his team's loss, getting on base in all three of his plate appearances with three runs, one double, and one RBI. He is becoming a predictor of Northern Durham's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 3-1 (and 5-9 when he doesn't). Another player making a difference was Mason Wilkins, who went 1-for-2 with three runs and one stolen base.
Vance Charter pushed their record up to 10-7 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.3 runs on average over those games. As for Northern Durham, their loss dropped their record down to 8-10.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Vance Charter has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Northern Durham struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.
