The Columbia Central Lions will square off against the Columbia Academy Bulldogs at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Last Wednesday, Columbia Central made easy work of Warren County and carried off a 9-2 win. The victory continues a trend for the Lions in their matchups with the Pioneers & Lady Pioneers: they've now won four in a row.
Jack Beck was incredible, scoring three runs and stealing a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. That's the most runs he has posted since back in May of 2024. Another player making a difference was Aiden Saum, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, Columbia Academy waltzed into their game on Friday with 13 straight wins... but they left with 14. Everything went their way against the LIONS as they made off with an 11-3 win.
Maine Metz looked comfortable as he tossed 3.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two hits in four consecutive appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Jase Kincaid, who scored three runs and stole three bases while going 4-for-5. The team also got some help courtesy of Gunner Skelton, who went 2-for-5 with one home run, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Columbia Academy was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .457. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .300 or higher in ten consecutive matches.
Columbia Academy pushed their record up to 14-1 with the victory, which was their eighth straight on the road. The road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.5 runs on average over those games. As for Columbia Central, their victory bumped their record up to 10-5.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Saturday as neither team is afraid to steal. Columbia Central has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.7 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Columbia Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 2.9 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.
