The Northern Durham Knights will take on the Voyager Academy Vikings in a tournament on Monday. Both teams are coming into the matchup red-hot, with Northern Durham sitting on three straight victories and Voyager Academy on nine.
Northern Durham barely beat East Chapel Hill the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. Northern Durham blew past East Chapel Hill 10-2 on Thursday. Considering the Knights have won three contests by more than seven runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Koby Owens
| 03/27/25 @ East Chapel Hill | 9 |
| 03/14/25 vs Falls Lake | 7 |
| 03/18/24 @ South Garner | 7 |
| 05/02/24 vs Eastern Alamance | 6 |
| 03/19/25 @ Southern School of Energy and Sustainability | 5 |
Koby Owens made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he struck out nine batters over six innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits. Those nine strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-3. He also put up a double, which was his first of the season.
Owens wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Mason Wilkins, who scored two runs while going 3-for-5. Wilkins has become a key player for Northern Durham: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 1-5 otherwise. J.P. Rodio was another, scoring a run while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Voyager Academy's rock-solid pitchers showed up for the team's third consecutive shutout on Wednesday. Their pitchers stepped up to hand South Granville a 5-0 shutout.
Like Northern Durham, Voyager Academy also got a great game from a two-way player: Carrick Ryan. On the mound, Ryan pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Meanwhile, Cameron Copley tossed 1.1 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been consistent : he hasn't given up more than one hit in seven consecutive appearances. At bat, Ryan scored a run and stole two bases while going 1-for-2, while Copley went 2-for-3 with one stolen base and two RBI.
Voyager Academy pushed their record up to 9-0 with the win, which was their 14th straight at home dating back to last season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.6 runs over those games. As for Northern Durham, the win got them back to even at 5-5.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Northern Durham has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Voyager Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 9.7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Northern Durham was able to grind out a solid victory over Voyager Academy in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, winning 15-12. Will Northern Durham repeat their success, or does Voyager Academy has a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
