The Columbus East Olympians will challenge the Greenwood Woodmen at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Columbus East is coming into the contest on a three-game losing streak.
Columbus East managed to slip by Madison the last time these teams faced off, but didn't have those same answers this time around. The Olympians came up short against the Cubs on Wednesday, falling 8-1.
Ryker Stott was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits over 4.1 innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up a single earned run any time he's pitched this season.
At the plate, J.D. Rotert made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and scored a run and stole three bases while getting on base in two of his three plate appearances.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Greenwood). They blew past Martinsville 15-4 on Wednesday. The Woodmen haven't had any issues with the Artesians recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive win against them.
Joey Ortman was a major factor no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out seven batters over five innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off three hits. Those seven strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also big at the plate, scoring two runs while going 1-for-3. He also brought in two RBI, marking his first of the season.
In other batting news, Ethan King was incredible, scoring four runs and stealing two bases while going 4-for-4. What's more, he posted three RBI, the most he's had since back in April of 2024. Jayden Pierce was another key player, scoring three runs while going 2-for-3.
Greenwood was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .483. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their batting average total in three consecutive matchups.
Columbus East's defeat dropped their record down to 3-5. As for Greenwood, their victory bumped their record up to 2-4.
