Baseball Game Preview: Shaw Raiders vs. Columbus Blue Devils

Shaw hasn't had much luck against Columbus recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Shaw Raiders will welcome the Columbus Blue Devils at 5:30 p.m. Columbus took a loss in their last match and will be looking to turn the tables on Shaw, who comes in off a win.

Shaw is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They put the hurt on Spencer with a sharp 22-1 win on Tuesday. The Raiders haven't had any issues with the Greenwave recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive victory against them.

Kingston Long made a splash no matter where he played. He struck out six batters over two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and only one walk). Long was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances.

Otis Stephens

Runs (Career)

03/04/25 @ Spencer	3
02/15/25 vs Chattahoochee County	2
02/10/25 @ Marion County	2
04/12/24 @ Westover	2
04/12/24 @ Westover	2

In other batting news, Kingsley Long and Otis Stephens did most of the damage at the plate: Kingsley went 2-for-3 with one home run, five RBI, and two runs, while Stephens went a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, three runs, and four RBI. Those three runs gave Stephens a new career-high. Jeremiah Lovett was another key player, scoring three runs and stealing Four bases. while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances.

Shaw hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Spencer struck out nine times.

Meanwhile, after soaring to 15 runs the game before, Columbus was a bit more limited in their contest on Wednesday. They lost 11-1 to Central. The Blue Devils have struggled against the Red Devils recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive lost meetings.

Columbus' loss dropped their record down to 4-6. As for Shaw, they now have a winning record of 6-5.

Shaw couldn't quite finish off Columbus in their previous meeting back in February of 2024 and fell 4-2. Can Shaw avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.