Softball Game Preview: Baker County Wildcats vs. Columbia Tigers

The Baker County Wildcats will face off against the Columbia Tigers at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Neither Baker County nor Columbia posted many runs in their last games, so it might be the pitching crews that decide this one.

Baker County proved they can win big on Friday (they won by six) and on Tuesday they proved they can win the close ones too. They never let West Nassau get on the board and left with a 1-0 victory.

Rylee Walker tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run over eight innings pitched. She has been consistent : she hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances.

On the hitting side, Mallory Jackson was excellent, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with one stolen base and one double.

Meanwhile, Columbia didn't have quite enough to beat Gainesville on Tuesday and fell 2-1. The Tigers have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Columbia also got a good showing from Kinley King, who didn't allow a single earned run over four innings pitched. Furthermore, King didn't allow a single earned run, the first time she has blanked an opponent since back in April of 2024.

Baker County is on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last ten matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 15-4 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.2 runs on average over those games. As for Columbia, their loss dropped their record down to 12-9.

Baker County came out on top in a nail-biter against Columbia when the teams last played back in February, sneaking past 9-7. Do the Wildcats have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Tigers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.