The Northern Durham Knights will square off against the Chapel Hill Tigers at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Chapel Hill took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on Northern Durham, who comes in off a win.
Northern Durham's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Thursday. They blew past Hillside 10-0. Considering the Knights have won five contests by more than six runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Liam Hawkes made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits over four innings pitched. He also tossed a walk, which is notable because Northern Durham is undefeated when he allows at most two walks, but 4-6 otherwise. Hawkes was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while getting on base in two of his three plate appearances.
J.P. Rodio
| 04/10/25 @ Hillside | 4 |
| 03/26/25 vs East Chapel Hill | 2 |
| 03/19/25 @ Southern School of Energy and Sustainability | 2 |
| 04/02/25 @ Green Level | 1 |
| 03/27/25 @ East Chapel Hill | 1 |
In other batting news, J.P. Rodio was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two stolen bases, four RBI, and one run. Those four RBI gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was J.D. Williams, who scored a run while going 2-for-2.
Northern Durham always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .643. They are a perfect 4-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Meanwhile, Chapel Hill came up short against Riverside-Durham on Saturday and fell 7-3.
Chapel Hill also got a good showing from Asa Foster, who tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. What's more, Foster gave up only one walk, the fewest he's had since back in March.
Northern Durham's win was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 7-6. Those road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.3 runs over those games. As for Chapel Hill, they have been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four matchups. That's put a noticeable dent in their 7-6 record this season.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Northern Durham has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Chapel Hill struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 10.2 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Northern Durham couldn't quite finish off Chapel Hill when the teams last played back in April of 2024 and fell 4-2. Can the Knights avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
