The Riverside-Durham Pirates will head out on the road to take on the Athens Drive Jaguars at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Riverside-Durham is currently enjoying a perfect season and no doubt wants to keep things rolling.
Riverside-Durham took a six-run loss the last time they faced off against Green Hope, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. Riverside-Durham sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 7-6 win over Green Hope on Wednesday. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last four times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
Brayden Mottola
| 03/19/25 vs Green Hope | 7 |
| 03/12/25 @ Southern School of Energy and Sustainability | 6 |
| 02/28/25 vs Cardinal Gibbons | 6 |
| 05/03/24 vs Northern Durham | 6 |
| 04/26/24 vs East Chapel Hill | 5 |
| + 2 more games |
Brayden Mottola made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over four innings while giving up just two earned runs off two hits. That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in April of 2024. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, Kj Burton was excellent, scoring two runs while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. Kaiden Nichols also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen bases of the season.
Meanwhile, Athens Drive never let their opponents score on Friday. They blew past Sanderson 12-0. The result was nothing new for the Jaguars, who have now won six matches by six runs or more so far this season.
Athens Drive got a big performance out of Austin Mantz, who scored three runs and stole two bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Ryan Bartley, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI and one double.
Athens Drive always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .514. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Sanderson only posted an OBP of .167.
Riverside-Durham pushed their record up to 7-0 with the victory, which was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they've averaged 10.4 runs this season. As for Athens Drive, they are on a roll lately: they've won six of their last eight games. That's provided a nice bump to their 8-3 record this season.
Monday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Riverside-Durham hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .349. However, it's not like Athens Drive struggles in that department as they've averaged .324. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Riverside-Durham took their victory against Athens Drive in their previous meeting back in June of 2021 by a conclusive 12-3. Does Riverside-Durham have another victory up their sleeve, or will Athens Drive turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
