The Riverside-Durham Pirates will head out on the road to face off against the Durham School of the Arts Bulldogs at 5:00 p.m. on Monday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Riverside-Durham has 11 straight victories, Durham School of the Arts has three straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Durham School of the Arts' hitters are going to have their work cut out for them on Monday: Riverside-Durham hadn't allowed a single run the last three times they've hit the field. The Pirates put the hurt on Hillside with a sharp 10-0 win last Thursday. Considering the Pirates have won eight matchups by more than six runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Brayden Mottola
| 03/27/25 vs Hillside | 1 |
| 03/19/25 vs Green Hope | 2 |
| 03/12/25 @ Southern School of Energy and Sustainability | 2 |
| 02/28/25 vs Cardinal Gibbons | 2 |
Brayden Mottola made a splash no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out six over five innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: 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, Lucas Setji was a standout: he went 2-for-3 with one home run and two RBI. That home run was his first of the season. Another player making a difference was Kj Burton, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-3.
Riverside-Durham lost a few balls and finished the game with three home runs. That's the most home runs they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Durham School of the Arts lost 11-1 to Southern School of Energy and Sustainability last Thursday.
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.
Durham School of the Arts now has a losing record of 4-5. As for Riverside-Durham, they pushed their record up to 10-0 with the victory, which was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season.
Both the two teams just can't seem to miss. Riverside-Durham has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 8.7 hits per game. However, it's not like Durham School of the Arts struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 5.4 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Everything went Riverside-Durham's way against Durham School of the Arts when the teams last played back in February, as Riverside-Durham made off with a 17-0 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Pirates since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
