The Ravenscroft Ravens will square off against the Durham Academy Cavaliers at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Ravenscroft's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed last Thursday. They walked away with a 4-0 win over Cary Academy. The Ravens haven't had any issues with the Chargers recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive victory against them.
Will Eichler was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out ten over seven innings pitched. He is becoming a predictor of Ravenscroft's success: when he posts at least ten strikeouts the team is 2-1 (and 5-6 when he doesn't). Eichler was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with one triple and one stolen base. That triple was his first of the season.
Matthew Madewell
| 04/10/25 @ Cary Academy | 3 |
| 03/11/25 @ St. David's | 2 |
| 03/08/25 vs Charlotte Latin | 2 |
| 04/01/25 vs American Leadership Academy-Johnston | 1 |
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Matthew Madewell, who went 3-for-4 with three runs, one triple, and one stolen base. He has become a key player for Ravenscroft: the team is 2-1 when he posts at least two runs, but 5-6 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Matt Ulicny, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base and one double.
Ravenscroft kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They are a perfect 3-0 when they post 11 or more hits.
Meanwhile, after only one run in their last matchup, Durham Academy made sure to put some runs up on the board against Raleigh HomeSchool on Thursday. The Cavaliers were the clear victors by a 10-4 margin over the Hawks. The high-scoring performance was a welcome turnaround for the Cavaliers' hitters, who had struggled in the games prior.
Zach Plavnik made a splash while hitting and pitching. He tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two hits in three consecutive appearances. He was even better at the plate, going 2-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, and one double. That's the most hits he has posted since back in April of 2024.
In other batting news, Benjamin Kuo was incredible, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with three stolen bases and one run. That's the most stolen bases he has posted since back in February. Another player making a difference was Amare Burrus, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases and one run.
Durham Academy's win ended a seven-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 4-10. As for Ravenscroft, the victory got them back to even at 7-7.
Durham Academy's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Tuesday. Ravenscroft has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.1 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Durham Academy, though, as they've been averaging only 3.5 strikeouts. Will Ravenscroft keep running through batters, or will the Cavaliers buck the trend?
Ravenscroft skirted past Durham Academy 3-1 in their previous matchup back in March. Will the Ravens repeat their success, or do the Cavaliers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
