For the first time this season, Bloomington North will have a chance to prove themselves in a conference matchup. They will be playing in front of their home fans against the Columbus North Bull Dogs at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Bloomington North barely beat Linton-Stockton the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Cougars put the hurt on the Miners with a sharp 30-1 victory on Tuesday. The Cougars have beaten the Miners the last eight times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Miners has come to flipping the script.
Brogan Hanna looked comfortable as he pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits.
Chris Barnett
| 04/08/25 vs Linton-Stockton | 4 |
| 04/13/24 @ Martinsville | 2 |
| 05/27/24 vs Mooresville | 1 |
| 05/22/24 vs Martinsville | 1 |
| 05/17/24 vs Floyd Central | 1 |
At the plate, Chris Barnett was incredible, getting on base in all six of his plate appearances with one home run, five runs, and six RBI. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in hits (four). Another player making a difference was Jake Mayer, who scored four runs while getting on base in five of his six plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Columbus North had just enough and edged out Jeffersonville 4-3 on Wednesday. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Bull Dogs.
Javier Uscanga and Jayden Adorno dominated on the mound. Uscanga didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out six over four innings pitched, while Adorno pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Macario Mendez, who got on base in all three of his plate appearances with one stolen base and one RBI. That stolen base marked the first that he snagged this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Dillon Long, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.
Columbus North's win was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 3-1. They've had to fight for that success though, as they only beat their opponents by an average of 1.8 runs across that stretch. As for Bloomington North, their victory bumped their record up to 2-0.
Bloomington North couldn't quite finish off Columbus North when the teams last played back in April of 2024 and fell 4-2. Will the Cougars 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.
