The Columbus East Olympians will take on the Valparaiso Vikings at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday.
On Thursday, Columbus East didn't have quite enough to beat Franklin Community and fell 3-2. The Olympians haven't had much luck with the Grizzly Cubs recently, as the team has come up short the last three times they've met.
Columbus East got a good showing from Drew Rotert, who didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit over four innings pitched. Rotert has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than two hits in five consecutive appearances.
At the plate, J.D. Rotert was cooking despite his team's loss, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with five stolen bases and one run.
Meanwhile, Valparaiso entered their tilt with Hobart on Thursday with four consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with five. They came out on top in a nail-biter against the Brickies, sneaking past 4-2. That's two games straight that the Vikings have won by exactly two runs.
Valparaiso also got a great performance from Zach Troxel as he pitched six innings while giving up just one earned run off eight hits. Troxel has become a key player for the Vikings: the team is undefeated when he allows at most three earned runs, but 3-4 otherwise.
On the hitting side, Valparaiso's win was truly a team effort as five different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Trevor Fenters, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one run and one RBI. Gabe Bush was another, going 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI.
Valparaiso's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 6-4. Those road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.3 runs over those games. As for Columbus East, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-7.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Saturday as neither team is afraid to steal. Columbus East has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.7 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Valparaiso struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 2.7 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Columbus East might still be hurting after the 12-2 loss they got from Valparaiso when the teams last played back in April of 2023. Can the Olympians avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
