Baseball Game Preview: Jordan Red Jackets vs. Columbus Blue Devils

Jordan hasn't had much luck against Columbus recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Red Jackets will venture away from home to square off against the Blue Devils at 5:30 p.m. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Jordan has five straight victories, Columbus has three straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.

Jordan proved they can win big two weeks ago (they won by 19) and last Friday they proved they can win the close ones too. They narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past Hardaway 2-1. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last five times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.

Bradley Smith

Batters Struck Out

03/28/25 vs Hardaway	11
03/18/25 vs Shaw	6
03/11/25 vs Columbus	5

Bradley Smith spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on three hits and racked up 11 Ks. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in three consecutive appearances.

Meanwhile, Monday just wasn't the day for Columbus' offense. They came up short against LaGrange on Monday, falling 6-0. That's two games in a row now that the Blue Devils have lost by exactly six runs.

Jordan's victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 13-5. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Columbus, their loss dropped their record down to 12-14.

The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Tuesday as neither team is afraid to steal. Jordan has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.2 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Columbus struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.4 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.

Jordan couldn't quite get it done against Columbus when the teams last played back in March as they fell 9-4. Can the Red Jackets avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.