South Dade is on a five-game streak of home wins, while Columbus is on a four-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The South Dade Buccaneers will host the Columbus Explorers at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. South Dade will be strutting in after a victory while Columbus will be coming in after a defeat.
South Dade is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They never let Sports Leadership & Management get on the board and left with a 17-0 win on Wednesday. The team's explosion at the plate also rewarded the Buccaneers with their most commanding win of the season.
Kevin Cappacetti was a standout: he went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, one triple, and two RBI. That triple marked the first that he hit this season. Another player making a difference was Fabian Orama, who scored two runs while going 1-for-1.
South Dade was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .500. The last time their batting average was this high was back in April of 2024.
Meanwhile, Columbus fell victim to Springstead and their airtight pitching crew on Thursday. They fell just short of the Eagles by a score of 2-0. The contest marked the first time this season in which the Explorers were not able to get on the board.
Samuel Alonso was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out eight over five innings pitched. He has been consistent : he hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts any time he's pitched this season.
On the hitting side, Columbus saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Mario Magana, who went 1-for-4 with one double.
South Dade is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five games. That's provided a massive bump to their 7-8 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.6 runs over those games. Columbus' loss dropped their record down to 12-4.
Friday's match might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. South Dade has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .433. However, it's not like Columbus struggles in that department as they've averaged .433. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
South Dade came up short against Columbus in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, falling 6-1. Will South Dade have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
