The Durango Trailblazers are taking a road trip to take on the Pinecrest Academy Cadence Cougars at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Durango has 11 straight victories, Pinecrest Academy Cadence has 12 straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
On Monday, Durango earned a 9-4 win over Rancho.
Alexander Mercurius made a big impact no matter where he played. He struck out nine batters over four innings while giving up four earned runs off only two hits. He has been consistent: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in seven consecutive appearances. He was even better at the plate, going 3-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in doubles (two).
Luke Desoto
| 04/21/25 @ Rancho | 4 |
| 04/14/25 vs Rancho | 1 |
| 03/28/25 @ Boulder City | 1 |
| 03/25/25 vs Sierra Vista | 2 |
| 03/19/25 vs Las Vegas | 1 |
| + 2 more games |
In other pitching news, Luke Desoto looked comfortable as he tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits. What's more, he posted four strikeouts, the most he's had since back in March.
Back at the plate, Aiden Farrell and Rocco Germano did most of the damage at the plate: Farrell went 1-for-4 with two runs and one stolen base, while Germano got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one stolen base and one run. The team also got some help courtesy of Kysyn Kauahipaula, who went 1-for-3 with two runs.
Durango was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .379. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .360 or higher in seven consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, Thursday just wasn't the day for Pinecrest Academy Cadence's offense. They might be feeling deja-vu: they lost 15-0 to Western, which was the same score (and result) they got the week prior.
Durango pushed their record up to 19-6 with the victory, which was their fifth straight on the road. Those road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.6 runs on average over those games. As for Pinecrest Academy Cadence, their loss dropped their record down to 1-13.
Durango's speedy runners might be the difference in Tuesday's game. The Trailblazers have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.8 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Pinecrest Academy Cadence, though, as they've been averaging only 0.9 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Durango continue to outrun the ball?
Everything went Durango's way against Pinecrest Academy Cadence in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, as Durango made off with a 16-0 victory. Will the Trailblazers repeat their success, or do the Cougars have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
