Columbia City is on a three-game streak of home wins, while Central Noble is on a four-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Eagles will welcome the Cougars at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Columbia City 2.8, Central Noble 2.1) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Columbia City proved they can win big last Wednesday (they won by 11) and on Monday they proved they can win the close ones too. They never let East Noble get on the board and left with a 1-0 victory. The win continues a trend for the Eagles in their matchups with the Knights: they've now won five in a row.
East Noble's batters probably weren't too happy with Emma Hiss, who pitched a no hitter and racked up 11 Ks (she gave up a single walk). Hiss has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 14 consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Columbia City's victory was truly a team effort as three different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Bralynn Leazier, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with one run and one double.
Meanwhile, Central Noble put their dominant pitcher on display in the team's third consecutive shutout on Thursday. They came out on top against Angola by a score of 4-0.
Not much got past Kensy Kimmell, who gave up just seven hits to keep Angola off the board.
Central Noble has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 13 of their last 14 matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 15-4 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.9 runs over those games. As for Columbia City, their victory bumped their record up to 14-3.
Friday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Columbia City hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .331. However, it's not like Central Noble struggles in that department as they've averaged .368. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Columbia City came out on top in a nail-biter against Central Noble when the teams last played back in May of 2024, sneaking past 6-5. Do the Eagles have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Cougars turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
