The Durham Academy Cavaliers will be playing in front of their home fans against the Ravenscroft Ravens at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Durham Academy has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the matchup with three straight losses, while Ravenscroft will come in with three straight wins.
On Friday, Durham Academy came up short against North Raleigh Christian Academy and fell 7-2. That's two games in a row now that Durham Academy has lost by exactly five runs.
Emmet Christian was huge no matter where he played even without the win. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out eight batters over five innings while giving up three earned runs off five hits. Christian has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in five consecutive pitching appearances. Christian was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, Ravenscroft beat Cary Academy 9-4 on Friday.
Like Durham Academy, Ravenscroft also got a great game from a two-way player: Matt Ulicny. On the mound, he pitched an inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Ulicny was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 3-for-4.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Pierce Davidian, who scored three runs and stole two bases while going 4-for-4. Josh Shepherd was another key contributor, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 3-for-3.
Durham Academy's defeat dropped their record down to 7-9. As for Ravenscroft, they are on a roll lately: they've won ten of their last 13 matches, which provided a nice bump to their 13-5 record this season.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Durham Academy has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.5 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Ravenscroft struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.8. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps