Columbus has gone 8-2 against Hardaway recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Tuesday. Columbus will square off against Hardaway at 5:30 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Columbus' pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. Everything went their way against Carver as Columbus made off with a 15-0 victory. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Blue Devils.
Martin Heim looked comfortable as he pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Columbus is undefeated when Heim allowsone or fewer hits, but 8-9 otherwise.
Maddox Anderson
| 03/21/25 vs Carver | 3 |
| 03/11/25 @ Jordan | 2 |
| 04/01/24 vs Newnan | 2 |
| 03/14/25 vs Spencer | 1 |
| 03/08/25 @ Russell County | 1 |
On the hitting side, Maddox Anderson was incredible, going a perfect 2-for-2 with three RBI, two runs, and one triple. Those three RBI gave him a new career-high. William Randall also deserves some recognition as he hit his first triple of the season.
Meanwhile, Hardaway had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 11.7 runs) and they went ahead and made it four on Friday. They blew past the Cherokees 20-0. The matchup marked the Hawks' most dominant win of the season.
Bobby Gary was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-low in walks (zero). He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while getting on base in both of his plate appearances.
In other pitching news, Gabriel Ruiz looked comfortable as he pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one hit any time he's pitched this season.
Back at the plate, Christian Eleby was a standout: he scored two runs and stole five bases while going 2-for-2. He has been hot recently, having posted two or more stolen bases the last four times he's played. Keshaun Davis was another key player, scoring a run and stealing four bases while going 2-for-2.
Hardaway always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .897. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Columbus' victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 11-9. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.3 runs on average over those games. As for Hardaway, their record now sits at 12-4.
Columbus took their victory against Hardaway in their previous meeting back in February by a conclusive 11-1. The rematch might be a little tougher for Columbus since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
