Softball Game Preview: Columbia Cougars vs. Wayne Valley Indians

The Columbia Cougars will square off against the Wayne Valley Indians at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Columbia's pitching crew has only allowed 2.1 runs per game this season, so Wayne Valley's hitters will have their work cut out for them.

Columbia is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of New Jersey's top teams: Morris Catholic, who was ranked 21st at the time (Columbia was ranked 14th). The Cougars fell just short of the Crusaders by a score of 2-1 on Monday. That's two games in a row now that the Cougars have lost by just one run.

Wayne Valley not only won on Tuesday, but they posted their biggest win since April 22nd (when they won 18-0). They were the clear victors by a 10-2 margin over West Milford.

Alexa Politz spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned runs on four hits.

At the plate, Annabelle Martin was a standout: she went 3-for-5 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in April. The team also got some help courtesy of Lilliana Houser, who went 2-for-4 with two doubles, two RBI, and one run.

Columbia's loss ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 18-8. As for Wayne Valley, their victory ended a five-game drought on the road and puts them at 6-21.