Columbia Academy and Friendship Christian are an even 3-3 against one another since March of 2015, but likely not for long. The Columbia Academy Bulldogs are on the road again on Wednesday to play the Friendship Christian Commanders at 6:00 p.m. The last three games Columbia Academy has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.
Columbia Academy is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They skirted past Clarksville Academy 3-1. That's two games straight that Columbia Academy has won by exactly two runs.
Columbia Academy got a great performance from Jacob Hill as he didn't allow a single earned run and only one hit over 5.2 innings pitched.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Briar Helton, who went 3-for-6 with three RBI, a stolen base, and a double. The team also got some help courtesy of Gunner Skelton, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his six plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Friendship Christian waltzed into their match on Tuesday with six straight wins... but they left with seven. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 5-3 win over the Cougars. That's two games straight that Friendship Christian has won by exactly two runs.
Sam Duckwiler looked comfortable as he tossed three innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive pitching appearances.
At the plate, Friendship Christian's victory was truly a team effort as five different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Quin Long, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-2.
Columbia Academy's win bumped their record up to 24-6. As for Friendship Christian, their victory was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 28-11-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Columbia Academy has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.3 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Friendship Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.8. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Columbia Academy came up short against Friendship Christian when the teams last played back in March of 2019, falling 8-3. Thankfully for Columbia Academy, Braden Reece (who struck out seven batters over 6.2 innings while giving up three earned runs off five hits (and only one walk)) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
