Baseball Game Preview: Lewis County Panthers vs. Columbia Academy Bulldogs

Lewis County hasn't had much luck against Columbia Academy recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Panthers will welcome the Bulldogs at 6:30 p.m.

It was a proper cat-fight when Lewis County challenged Battle Ground Academy on Thursday. The Panthers lost 11-5 to the Wildcats.

Lewis County saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Brayden Whitlow, who went 1-for-4 with two RBI and one double. Another was Steele Moseley, who got on base in two of his four plate appearances with one stolen base and one run.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Columbia Academy, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Monday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Battle Ground Academy a 9-0 shutout on Tuesday. The Bulldogs might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 12 matchups by eight runs or more this season.

Gunner Skelton was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out 11 over seven innings pitched. That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in May of 2024. He was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with three stolen bases and two runs.

In other batting news, Wyatt Ayers was excellent, going 1-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double. Briar Helton was another key player, going 1-for-2 with one run and one RBI.

Columbia Academy's victory was their 13th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 17-3. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.9 runs on average over those games. As for Lewis County, they now have a losing record of 11-12.

Lewis County might still be hurting after the 18-3 defeat they got from Columbia Academy when the teams last played back in March. Will the Panthers have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.