Softball Game Preview: Columbia Raiders vs. Dalton Bulldogs

The Columbia Raiders will face off against the Dalton Bulldogs at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Columbia comes in on seven and Dalton on five.

Columbia is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Wednesday. They had just enough and edged out McDonald 6-4.

Alina Jones looked comfortable as she struck out eight batters over four innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits. She has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances.

Meanwhile, Dalton hadn't done well against Hillsdale recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Wednesday. The Bulldogs came out on top against the Falcons by a score of 6-3.

Mei Simmons made a splash no matter where she played. She struck out nine batters over seven innings while giving up three earned runs off six hits (and only one walk). Simmons was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with one run and one RBI.

In other batting news, Kenna Doty was incredible, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run. Another player making a difference was Hannah Wenger, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with two runs.

Dalton's win bumped their record up to 22-10. As for Columbia, their victory bumped their record up to 19-7.

Columbia suffered a grim 16-3 defeat to Dalton in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Can the Raiders avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.