Softball Game Preview: Columbia Central Lions vs. Stratford Spartans

The Columbia Central Lions will head out to challenge the Stratford Spartans at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Columbia Central is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 10.6 runs per game this season.

Columbia Central will bounce into Friday's match after beating Lincoln County, who they had gone 1-8 against in their nine prior meetings. The Lions sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 6-4 victory over the Falcons on Thursday. Winning may never get old, but the Lions sure are getting used to it with their third in a row.

Bailey Lovell

Runs Batted In (Career)

04/03/25 @ Lincoln County	3
03/13/25 @ East Hickman County	2
03/10/25 vs Middle Tennessee Christian	2
03/06/25 vs Lawson	2
03/27/24 vs West End	2

Bailey Lovell made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out nine batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off six hits. Lovell was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one home run and three RBI. Those three RBI gave her a new career-high.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Molly Underwood, who went 2-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Gabby Bolton, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4.

Meanwhile, Stratford got the win against Pearl-Cohn on Wednesday by a conclusive 20-4.

Columbia Central's win was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 10-3. Those road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 15.5 runs over those games. As for Stratford, they now have a winning record of 2-1.