The Columbia Roughnecks will venture away from home to challenge the Brazos Cougars at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
On Friday, Columbia got the win against Wharton by a conclusive 18-2. Considering the Roughnecks have won nine games by more than five runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Grant Thrasher made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing 3.1 innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. Thrasher was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one triple, one run, and one RBI.
Columbia always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .641. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Wharton only posted an OBP of .391.
Meanwhile, it may have taken eight innings to finish the job, but Brazos ultimately got the result they hoped for on Friday. They narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past Van Vleck 4-3.
Brazos also got a great performance from Jaden Bradley as he pitched 5.2 innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off four hits. Bradley has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in three consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Luke Polasek was incredible, going 2-for-4 with one home run and two runs. He is becoming a predictor of Brazos' success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 6-1 (and 6-7 when he doesn't). The team also got some help courtesy of Brayden Krahn, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-3.
Columbia has been performing well recently as they've won 11 of their last 14 contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 14-9-2 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.3 runs over those games. As for Brazos, their win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 12-8.
Saturday's matchup might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Columbia has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .496. However, it's not like Brazos struggles in that department as they've averaged .446. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Columbia couldn't quite finish off Brazos in their previous meeting back in February and fell 6-4. Can the Roughnecks avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
