vs
| 05/17/23 - Neutral | 3-0 W |
| 04/03/23 - Home | 9-4 W |
| 04/04/22 - Away | 16-2 W |
| 03/16/19 - Home | 8-2 W |
| 03/16/19 - Home | 7-12 L |
| + 5 more games |
Columbia is 9-1 against Southwestern since March of 2016 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Friday. The Eagles will be playing at home against the Piasa Birds at 4:30 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Columbia was handed a heart-breaking two-run defeat in their last matchup, but they sure didn't let that happen against Salem on Thursday. The Eagles never let the Wildcats get on the board and left with an 8-0 victory. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest win the Eagles have posted against the Wildcats since April 7, 2022.
Southwestern never got on the board in their matchup on Wednesday, but that sure wasn't the case in their game against Vandalia on Thursday. They were the clear victors by a 14-3 margin over the Vandals. The high-scoring performance was a welcome turnaround for the Piasa Birds' hitters, who had struggled in the games prior.
Grace Strohbeck spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned runs on three hits.
On the hitting side, Madison Fenstermaker and Vivian Zurheide did most of the damage at the plate: Fenstermaker went 3-for-5 with four runs, two triples, and one RBI, while Zurheide went 3-for-4 with three runs, two doubles, and one stolen base. Those two triples gave Fenstermaker a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Josie Hagen, who went 1-for-4 with three RBI, one run, and one double.
They weren't the only ones making solid contact: Southwestern kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Vandalia only managed two hits.
Southwestern is on a roll lately: they've won 13 of their last 15 contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 15-5-1 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.7 runs over those games. As for Columbia, their win bumped their record up to 21-5.
Columbia beat Southwestern 3-0 in their previous meeting back in May of 2023. Do the Eagles have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Piasa Birds turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
