Baseball Game Preview: Columbia Blue Devils vs. Shaker Bison

The Columbia Blue Devils will head out to square off against the Shaker Bison at 4:15 p.m. on Wednesday. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this matchup.

The scorekeeper got an easy start on Monday as neither Columbia nor La Salle Institute made it on the board until the sixth inning. The Blue Devils fell 5-1 to the Cadets. The contest marked the Blue Devils' lowest-scoring game so far this season.

Columbia saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Jackson Stilson, who went 2-for-3 with one double and one RBI.

For whatever reason, it's the away team that's had the advantage when Shaker and Niskayuna meet (four straight games heading into this one) and that held true again on Monday. The Bison fell just short of the Silver Warriors by a score of 5-4.

Columbia has been struggling recently as they've lost six of their last eight matches. That's put a noticeable dent in their 5-9 record this season. As for Shaker, their loss dropped their record down to 10-4.

The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Columbia has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Shaker struggles in that department as they've been averaging 11.3 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.

Columbia might still be hurting after the 7-1 defeat they got from Shaker when the teams last played back in April of 2024. Can the Blue Devils avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.