The Pierce Bears will head out to face off against the Durham Trojans at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Pierce has given up an average of 8.1 runs per game this season, but Tuesday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Pierce fell victim to Gridley and their airtight pitching crew on Wednesday. They came up short against the Bulldogs, falling 19-0. The Bears haven't had much luck with the Bulldogs recently, as the team has come up short the last five times they've met.
Meanwhile, Durham had already won four in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 7.3 runs) and they went ahead and made it five last Wednesday. They blew past the Tigers 12-4. Considering the Trojans have won eight games by more than five runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Annalee Horn and Sadie Sjolund made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, Horn pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Meanwhile, Sjolund didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out six over five innings pitched. Horn has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 12 consecutive appearances. At the plate, Horn went 2-for-4 with one run and one RBI, while Sjolund got on base in three of her five plate appearances with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Hayden Poyner was incredible, going 3-for-4 with one home run and three RBI. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in March. The team also got some help courtesy of Ashley Spence, who went 2-for-5 with three RBI, one run, and one double.
Durham kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Oroville only managed five hits.
Durham pushed their record up to 12-5-1 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.3 runs on average over those games. As for Pierce, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-11.
Tuesday's matchup will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Pierce hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .323. However, it's not like Durham struggles in that department as they've averaged .318. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Pierce came up short against Durham in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, falling 13-9. Can the Bears avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
