The Brazos Cougars will face off against the Columbia Roughnecks at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
On Friday, Brazos needed a bit of extra time to put away Van Vleck. They narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past the Leopards 4-3.
Brazos got a great performance from Jaden Bradley as he pitched 5.2 innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off four hits. Bradley has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in three consecutive appearances.
| 03/31/25 vs Hempstead | 3 |
| 03/10/25 @ Giddings | 3 |
| 03/08/25 vs Shiner | 3 |
| 02/24/25 @ St. Paul | 3 |
| 04/11/25 vs Van Vleck | 2 |
| + 13 more games |
At the plate, Luke Polasek was incredible, going 2-for-4 with one home run and two runs. He has become a key player for Brazos: the team is 6-1 when he posts at least two runs, but 6-7 otherwise. Brayden Krahn was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, Columbia made easy work of Wharton on Friday and carried off an 18-2 victory. The result was nothing new for the Roughnecks, who have now won nine games by six runs or more so far this season.
Grant Thrasher was a major factor no matter where he played. He pitched 3.1 innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. Thrasher was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one triple, one run, and one RBI.
Columbia always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .641. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Wharton only posted an OBP of .391.
Columbia has been performing well recently as they've won 11 of their last 14 contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 14-9-2 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.9 runs on average over those games. As for Brazos, their victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 12-8.
Saturday's matchup might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Brazos has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .446. However, it's not like Columbia struggles in that department as they've averaged .496. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Brazos skirted past Columbia 6-4 in their previous meeting back in February. Do the Cougars have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Roughnecks turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
