The Columbia Central Golden Eagles will head out on the road to face off against the Homer Trojans at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Both teams are coming into the matchup red-hot, with Columbia Central sitting on 11 straight wins and Homer on eight.
Columbia Central is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Leslie a 16-0 shutout on Monday. The team's explosion at the plate also rewarded the Golden Eagles with their most commanding win of the season.
Kelsey Fausz was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. Another player making a difference was Gabby Gaydosh, who went 1-for-2 with three runs and two RBI.
Meanwhile, Homer made easy work of Manchester on Friday and carried off a 12-1 victory. The Trojans might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won eight games by ten runs or more this season.
Payten Minix made a splash no matter where she played. She struck out nine batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off five hits (and only one walk). She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts any time she's pitched this season. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two runs and one stolen base.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Lani Miller, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with one home run, two stolen bases, and two runs. Those two stolen bases gave her a new career-high. Lillian Stemaly also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen base of the season.
Columbia Central pushed their record up to 11-0 with the win, which was their seventh straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.3 runs on average over those games. As for Homer, their record now sits at 12-2.
Wednesday's contest might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Columbia Central has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .469. However, it's not like Homer struggles in that department as they've averaged .511. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
