The Stratford Spartans will face off against the Columbia Central Lions at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Last Wednesday, Stratford got the win against Pearl-Cohn by a conclusive 20-4.
Meanwhile, Columbia Central had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8.5 runs) and they went ahead and made it three on Thursday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against the Falcons, sneaking past 6-4. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Lions have posted since May 7, 2024.
Bailey Lovell made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out nine batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off six hits. Lovell was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one home run and three RBI. Those three RBI gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Molly Underwood, who went 2-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. Gabby Bolton was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-4.
Columbia Central's win was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 10-3. The road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.3 runs on average over those games. As for Stratford, they now have a winning record of 2-1.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
