Baseball Preview: Monroe Golden Tornadoes vs. Columbus Blue Devils
The Monroe Golden Tornadoes will be playing at home against the Columbus Blue Devils at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Both teams come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Monroe will head into Wednesday's match hoping to keep the good times rolling: they only won by two when they last took the field, which might have inspired the 15-point they dealt Randolph-Clay on Wednesday. Monroe was the clear victor by a 16-1 margin over Randolph-Clay.
Raymond Tinch made a splash no matter where he played. He pitched three innings while giving up just one earned run but no hits. Tinch was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with two runs, a triple, and two RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on JaBraylen Mulkey, who scored three runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-2. He has been hot recently, having posted two or more stolen bases the last three times he's played. Chase Dixon was another key contributor, scoring two runs and stealing three bases while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Columbus entered their tilt with Northside with two consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with three. They came out on top against the Patriots by a score of 8-3 on Wednesday.
Michael Nottleman spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned (and two unearned) runs on four hits and racked up seven Ks.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Caden Bryans, who scored two runs while going 2-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of Will Taylor, who scored two runs while going 1-for-3.
Monroe's victory ended a four-game drought at home and bumped them up to 7-11-2. As for Columbus, their win ended a five-game drought on the road and puts them at 13-14.
Columbus' pitching crew has a tough task ahead of them: Monroe hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .326. It's a different story for Columbus, though, as they've only averaged .230. Will they be able to contain Monroe's hitters?
Monroe suffered a grim 17-0 defeat to Columbus in their previous meeting back in April of 2023. Will Monroe 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.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
