The Durham School of the Arts Bulldogs will square off against the Riverside-Durham Pirates at 5:00 p.m. on Monday. Durham School of the Arts has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the match with three straight defeats, while Riverside-Durham will come in with 11 straight wins.
Durham School of the Arts came up short against Southern School of Energy and Sustainability last Thursday, falling 11-1.
Durham School of the Arts saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Christopher Matuszewski, who went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases.
Meanwhile, Riverside-Durham put their dominant pitcher on display in the team's third consecutive shutout last Thursday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Hillside a 10-0 shutout. Considering the Pirates have won eight games by more than six runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Brayden Mottola made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit while striking out six over five innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two hits in four consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with one home run, one stolen base, and two RBI.
In other batting news, Riverside-Durham got a massive performance out of Lucas Setji, who went 2-for-3 with one home run and two RBI. That home run marked the first that Setji launched this season. Another player making a difference was Kj Burton, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-3.
Riverside-Durham always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .533. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Hillside only posted an OBP of .125.
Durham School of the Arts now has a losing record of 4-5. As for Riverside-Durham, their victory was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 10-0.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Durham School of the Arts has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Riverside-Durham struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Durham School of the Arts might still be hurting after the 17-0 loss they got from Riverside-Durham when the teams last played back in February. Will the Bulldogs have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
