Baseball Game Preview: Columbia Blue Devils vs. Wallkill Panthers

The Columbia Blue Devils will face off against the Wallkill Panthers at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday. Columbia will be strutting in after a victory while Wallkill will be coming in after a loss.

Columbia took a loss when they played away from home on Wednesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They had just enough and edged out Guilderland 3-2. The win continues a trend for the Blue Devils in their matchups with the Flyin Dutchman: they've now won six in a row.

Columbia got a great performance from Matthew Burek as he tossed six innings while giving up just two earned runs off five hits.

On the hitting side, Columbia saw seven different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Sean Boniface, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI. That stolen base marked the first that Boniface has snagged this season.

New Paltz hit Wallkill with a four-run fourth inning on Monday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Panthers took a 7-3 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Huguenots. Panthers fans who chose to attend the game sure picked the wrong one: it was the first time the team has lost against the Huguenots since Monday.

Connor Bleichner made the most of his time in the batter's box despite the final result and got on base in all four of his plate appearances with one double and one RBI. Mason Franklin was another key player, going 2-for-3 with one run and one double.

Wallkill has traveled a rocky road recently, having lost four of their last five contests. That's put a noticeable dent in their 4-7 record this season. As for Columbia, their victory bumped their record up to 8-5.

Columbia was able to grind out a solid win over Wallkill in their previous matchup back in May of 2025, winning 6-2. Will the Blue Devils repeat their success, or do the Panthers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.