The Columbia Tigers will be playing at home against the IMG Academy Black Ascenders at 5:00 p.m. on Monday. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.
Columbia had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 2.5 runs), and they went ahead and made it three on Tuesday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against the Raiders and snuck past 9-7.
The team relied heavily on Casen Maddox, who went 2-for-3 with a home run and four RBI. Another player making a difference was Ayden Phillips, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Meanwhile, IMG Academy Black sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 5-4 win over Inspiration Academy on Friday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for IMG Academy Black.
Grayson Rodgers looked comfortable as he struck out six batters over 2.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits (and only one walk). He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, IMG Academy Black's victory was truly a team effort as five different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Mason Woolever, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Max Charles, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with an RBI.
The win got Columbia back to even at 9-9. As for IMG Academy Black, their victory bumped their record up to 15-4.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. Columbia has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like IMG Academy Black struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.1. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
