Hardaway is 2-8 against Columbus since April of 2018 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Hawks will welcome the Blue Devils at 5:30 p.m. After the two teams made easy work of their previous opponents, one won't be so lucky on Friday.
Hardaway is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They never let Kendrick get on the board and left with a 21-0 victory on Tuesday. The win continues a trend for the Hawks in their matchups with the Cherokees: they've now won nine in a row.
Gabriel Ruiz was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and not a single walk). Ruiz was also big at the plate, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs. Those four RBI gave him a new career-high.
Anquan Jackson
| 02/24/26 vs Kendrick | 4 |
| 02/23/26 @ Chattahoochee County | 3 |
| 04/11/25 vs Carver | 3 |
| 03/14/25 @ Sumter County | 3 |
| 02/09/26 @ Monroe | 2 |
In other batting news, Kei'Shawn Neal and Anquan Jackson did most of the damage at the plate: Neal got on base in all three of his plate appearances with eight stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI, while Jackson went a perfect 2-for-2 with four stolen bases, two runs, and one triple. Those four stolen bases gave Jackson a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Zi'yon Ousley, who got on base in both of his plate appearances with four stolen bases and two runs.
Hardaway always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .778. They are a perfect 4-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
The home team had come away the winner the last five times Columbus and Carver had met, but sadly for the fans who attended this one that wasn't the case. The Blue Devils put the hurt on the Tigers with a sharp 16-1 victory on Tuesday. That's two games straight that the Blue Devils have won by exactly 15 runs.
Hardaway now has a winning record of 4-3. As for Columbus, their win bumped their record up to 3-6.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Hardaway has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Columbus struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.3 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
